MWCT Jewellery project is aimed at uplifting the woman of Manda
SteadiDrone, paired up with local South African jewellery designer Stefni Muller, began the venture in the beautiful region of Nkwichi where Stefni will stay for the next 5 weeks and teach woman of the MANDA Wilderness Community in northern Mozambique useful skills in jewellery making.
“…A community where economic development is scarce,
This project aims to create job opportunities for the future.”
SteadiDrone is proudly sponsoring Stefni’s trip, and will be giving updates on her progress as the journey continues through our social media platforms as well as Stefni’s personal blog:
What is the MWCT?
(MANDA Wilderness Community Trust)
The MWCT aims to support conservation and community development for the people living in Northern Mozambique. Many of which live a life of poverty and very limited
prospects. Living on less than 100USD per year, they are solely reliant on subsistence farming, fishing, hunting, harvesting and trade for their livelihood.
The vision for this project was to generate a curriculum using resources unique to the Nkwichi area and applying them with tools and skills which the community already possess.
What is our aim for this project?
Finding a natural resource existing in the MANDA community that can be used productively
Developing this resource into valuable, quality products which can be marketed and sold in the future
Systematising the work and getting the woman familiar with structured labour, routines and curriculum
Selling and marketing of the products. Growing the product ranges and managing these systems independently
Above all, we aim for this project to be in effect for long-term; inspiring the woman to transform a community that doesn’t have much into a flourishing creative industry – using art and culture to create revenue and sustainability.
“…We hope to empower woman through creative thinking – so that in turn they can be proud of who they are… that their voices have purpose and their stories are worth telling.”
Jewellery designer Stefni started her new adventure into northern Mozambique in the second week of October 2015. The intention for documenting her experience was to build an awareness for the unique lifestyle of the MANDA natives that so few are familiar with – living solely off of what the earth provides without the help of structural or corporate aids. Grocery stores, hospitals, housing, even basic amenities like running water and electricity are not yet instilled.
With Stefni’s help, we hope to inspire them as a community, enrich their lives by showing them what they are capable of doing, and finally we hope they will carry on developing as a sustainable union and pursuing this vision.
Following the weeks ahead, we will be making short ‘catch-ups’ to the progress of the projects; the woman will be undertaking new activities constantly starting with research and development as read on her Blog:
WEEK ONE: After arrival, Stefni was shown around the farm where she will be staying for the next 5 weeks. Setting up the workshop, by starting right at the bottom; in order to use resources for bead making, Stefni would have to walk quite some distance away, gather water and clay before preparing it by hand and then only could production begin.
After having prepared the clay, she sat with one of the temporary staff members from the local village who took to bead making within seconds. She hopes to produce a full range by weeks end.
“Not being able to speak each other’s language, she
silently sat next to me, took the clay and started moulding it into beautifully shaped beads. I didn’t show or teach her anything, needless to say her beads came out better than mine. In my eyes this is success; creativity might just be the bridge between those so different to ourselves”
Links:
www.steadidrone.com
http://www.mandawilderness.org/
http://www.stefni.co.za/little-travels-my-blog
