craftsmanship
In Search of Marginalized Wisdom
Submitted by admin on Fri, 11/18/2011 - 5:11pmThemes
craftsmanshipJua kali program; Co-designing with community based enterprises
Submitted by admin on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 8:57pmContext: The informal sector in Kenya provides a source of livelihood for over 50% of the population. This sector is referred to as the ‘Jua kali’ (hot sun) because of the largely open-air working environment. The ‘Jua kali’ artisans however earn very little from this industry and more often than not live hand-to-mouth. The School of the Arts and Design, in recognition of the challenges and the opportunities in ‘Jua kali’ has over the years run programs where students worked together with informal sector artisans to design products and services that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. In particular, from 2006 to 2009 the School in partnership with an NGO, run a ‘Jua kali’ program that brought together professional designers, lecturers, students and informal sector artisans in workshops that were avenues for mutual engagement.
Omaabi – Self help community
Submitted by joonsbaek on Sun, 06/26/2011 - 8:55amCountries
Estonia
(source: Maris Korrol & Krista Thomson, 2005)
The self-help community of elderly retired people runs a shop and a little diner, providing opportunities to socialise, sell home-made handicrafts and eat out for the lowest prices in town. The community began as a few pensioners making handicrafts together, and selling them when they got the current building. It now has 48 pensioner members. Its building, near the city centre, with a ground floor acting as handicraft shop, cafeteria and hairdresser. The cafeteria is where elderly and lonely people meet up, hear live music once or twice a week, and eat very cheaply. The prices in the handicraft shop are also low. Most of the goods are made by members, with some from outside craftsmen, but the shop will only sell beautiful things. Self help was created to give old people a new lease of life and a new sense of ‘family’. Self Help Community is always looking for outside help, because their financial situation is not quite enough to keep going independently.
The organisation has been going since 1992 and is working well. Whether it can keep going in the future depends on money. If the government could give just a little support the group would have no problems carrying on. Profit is only made in the handicraft shop, which keeps a percentage of the price to pay for electricity and firewood for heating. Every member works in the shop for free, although they might get some food stamps for the cafeteria, and does a shift three or four times a month.
Society. Elderly people who feel in good shape rich, in experience, can keep being active and useful in the neighbourhood. They can help others and the others help them. A very important task of the Self Help Community is maintaining Estonian national handicrafts, keeping the tradition going and passing knowledge to younger people. Now it has joined the EU, Estonia, a small nation, needs to keep its own cultural traditions and national character.
Environment. The handicrafts use local and traditional materials and resources, and their manufacture suits the local environment.
Kardelen / Snowfall
Submitted by admin on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 4:35pmCountries
Turkey
Turkcell teamed up with educational and charitable groups in Turkey to tackle this deep rooted social problem. The project serves to provide scholarships every year to support the education of female students. The team of the project is consisted not only of educators and financers but also of writers and artists; and there are some special products made especially for the "Kardelenler" (Snowdrops) project such as a book and an album whose income is only used for the students’ scholarships.
Encouraging girls in rural places for education makes a huge improvement not only for the girls themselves but also for their families. Better educated girls will themselves be healthier and they will have fewer but healthier children in the future.
