In a proactive move to enhance its services, the Social Services Department of Sharjah recently organized a brainstorming session for the “Production” center, aimed at identifying the needs and suggestions of its participants. This gathering provided an excellent platform for nearly 40 members to discuss how to advance their products and improve their marketability, both through the center’s retail outlets in Sharjah and its dedicated online store showcasing products from family businesses. The session symbolizes a crucial step in elevating the services offered by the center.
Hosted in the Quranic Complex, the brainstorming session featured Maysoun Al Hamadi, director of the “Production” center, who outlined the services provided since the center’s inception in 2009. The center aims to empower families receiving social assistance and residents of shelters by facilitating training and qualifications in home production, allowing them to launch competitive products and services.
The center provides organized opportunities for marketing products through various channels, focusing on improving display methods and packaging while adding artistic touches and informative details about each product. Additionally, it actively supports participating families in required exhibitions and events within the country, thereby enhancing the quality of their products and increasing their competitiveness under the “Production” brand.
Al Hamadi further noted that collaboration with the Sharjah Economic Development Department has resulted in a 50% discount on the “Approval” license for interested members, creating broad opportunities for formally marketing their products and opening new horizons for them. The center’s commitment to empowering beneficiaries includes organizing exhibitions, forming partnerships, and providing distribution outlets, ensuring that all services, such as specialized courses and workshops, are available free of charge to member families.
She highlighted the modern services recently introduced at “Production,” which include advanced and smart equipment like 3D printers, laser cutting and engraving machines, and digital fabric embroidery machines. This initiative aims to support and enhance the creative activities of enrolled families. Members of the “Creativity” group have received training on these devices under the guidance of a specialized trainer, with initial results indicating high-quality designs that reflect the skills and creativity of the participants, thus bolstering the competitiveness of their products in the local market.
During the brainstorming session, facilitated by Mouza Salem Al Alyli, a strategic analyst at the Corporate Development Office of the department, participants proposed numerous ideas aimed at boosting the services of the “Production” center. These contributions are designed to enhance their craft and enable them to develop more competitive products. The suggestions put forth by the women were pivotal in raising competitiveness and enhancing the presence of their products in the market.
It is noteworthy that the “Community Pulse” dialogue session, launched by the Sharjah Social Services Department in collaboration with the Government Communication Office, serves as an interactive platform to strengthen communication channels with the department’s beneficiaries and stakeholders. This initiative is structured as a series of eight consecutive sessions throughout 2025, each dedicated to highlighting the role of one of the department’s services. These sessions will include discussions led by leading officials, involving relevant entities and partners, along with participants and beneficiaries. The focus will be on showcasing the available services while facilitating dialogue, exchanging perspectives, and collecting feedback to improve the quality and expand the impact of the department’s services within the community.