The cloth that dreams are made of

Zanzibar, that means the sun, the beach and the sea. But it also means many tourists, visitors and an increased level of environmental pollution. Waste, mainly plastic bags, litter the sides of many streets. There is no garbage collection and often waste is openly burned, resulting in toxic exhausts. Now the government of Zanzibar officially banned plastic bags. So Zanzibar is among the first places in the world that resists the modern habit of distributing plastic bags. But alternatives are needed: Cloth bags.

The 40 women of the cooperative “Riziki” in the village Pwani Mchangani recently received a weaving loom. In Order to start off, the women need financial support in order to buy yarn. This will be used for weaving the cloth bags, which are afterwards colored.
Our first step is to buy cotton cloth. The women will sew the bags. The Zanzibari artist Eddi Mitawi will individually design each bag.

At the ZIFF, the Zanzibar International Film Festival in July 2009, the first edition of cloth bags will be sold to tourists. Also hotels will be approached as point of sale. Next to raising environmental awareness at locals and tourists alike, all revenues will support the upcoming project to weave, sew and sell these cloth bags. That shall provide the women in Pwani Mchangani with a new way to generate income.

A cheaper version of the cloth bags will be designed and offered in small shops in the countryside. The needs for this project are seed capital for the women of “Riziki” Read more