Mamelo Honko Women's Association
The rural coastal communities of Belalanda Commune in SW Madagascar are some of the most impoverished in the country, and due to over-exploitation are at risk of losing their rapidly diminishing coastal resources.
An inspiring group of women in the village of Ambondrolava are challenging this, building the resilience of their families and communities by coming together to form a women’s association that specializes in the art of vannerie, or hand-weaving
artisanal products from locally, sustainably harvested reeds.
Started in 2011, the Mamelo Honko Women's Association was formed to allow local women to achieve more through strength in numbers while providing a network of support. With the help of the NGO Honko, the association's founding members were trained
in vannerie techniques, including a range of products such as baskets, purses, hats, and mats, in addition to dying reeds the color of their choice. The association runs a small shop that is conveniently located on a national highway with many passing
tourists, giving them great access to a market for unique, artisanal products.
The shop is run entirely by the association with all profits going to them directly. Their profits are re-invested as the women see fit, giving them ownership over their own future in this venture.
However, after 2013's destructive cyclone Haruna, the shop sustained significant damage and has been unusable ever since.
The women have been displaying and selling their products from Honko's office, which is much further from the road and has much less traffic by tourists. The women continue to weave, though in much smaller quantities due to the move to a smaller, less visible
location.
The inspiring part is this - even with lower profits and no roadside shop, there are still 15 new women that have demonstrated their motivation to join this venture. However, these members will need months of training and practice before their products will
reach the quality of the association's current experienced members.
Plan of action
To help the women recuperate their business after a difficult year, and to bring in greater profits than ever before, we have worked with them to develop the following steps of action:
1) Strength in numbers
15 new members will be trained to build the association's network, welcoming to the association local women that have been eager to learn the craft.
By transferring this valuable knowledge and skill to more women, the association will have a greater long-term impact on the livelihoods of Ambondrolava's women and their families.
This will involve:
- Twice weekly, full-day training sessions for 6 months (August - January
- Training in reed weaving and dying techniques
- Sessions led by talented Madame Jacqueline - native of Ambondrolava and president/driving force behind the association
Reed
weaving workshop for new members in June 2014.
2) Mix & match
Since losing their shop, the women have had little means to expand their range of products or to experiment with new materials. We will help them invest in new materials that will increase the quality and value of their products, allowing them to experiment
with new design ideas to keep their line of products fresh and unique. This will ultimately bring in greater profits than even when they had their shop; profits which the women will be able to invest in continued production of new, higher-quality products.
3) Bring 'em home
Honko has been able to help with basic repairs to make the shop usable, allowing the women to return there to work to rebuild their line of products and eventually reopen the shop. However, it is still far from its greatest potential to catch the
eyes of a passing tourist, as it did before. We hope to not only repair the shop, but also redesign its storefront, making it more open and eye-catching to passing tourists.
The women's association's
shop before cyclone damage.
How you can help!
It does not take much to make a big difference for this initiative! A little support will go a long ways. Let me break it down for you:
- $10 will buy enough color dye to allow the women to experiment with new patterns and designs; $100 will buy a large assortment of new craft materials (cloth, zipper, clasps, etc.)
- $20 will cover training sessions for 1 week
- $80 will cover training sessions for 1 month
- $400 will cover essential repairs to the shop; $200 will buy all the paint supplies and artist's salary to make the shop pop
- $500 will cover all training sessions for 6 months!
You could actually have the greatest impact simply by sharing this campaign, reaching out to your own circles!
Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or all of the above - sharing can make a huge difference, so encourage your friends and followers to do the same!
What's in it for you?
We and the women of Ambondrolava are extremely grateful for any and all support. Since we just simply can't put it into words how much, we like to show it! Whether you contribute $5 or $500, we have a range of thank you gifts listed
here on our project page ranging from personalized handmade art postcards, to a hand woven purse, to immortalizing your contribution in writing on the association's shop front. To see the full list of gifts, check out the "Rewards" section of this page!
To learn more about HONKO, find us on
Facebook, Twitter, or at
www.honko.org.
