– Colourful pieces of discarded polythene bags turn into unique handmade purses, mats or pillows
– These women not only save the environment, but also earn money
Every Wednesday the group of local women gather under the canopy to knit.
Women in Adamawa state turn the town’s waste into creative fashionable pieces.
These women who are good at handicraft not only save the environment, but also earn a living.
Every Wednesday the group of local women gather under the canopy to knit.
However, before starting knitting and creating unique pieces, women gather raw material that is usually picked from all over Yola, the Adamawa state capital.
In a few hours, colourful pieces of discarded polythene bags turn into fashionable mats, purses or pillows.
Jennifer Che is the coordinator of the group.
For about three years, Jennifer Che has been coordinating thins group.
Working for American University of Nigeria, she decided to do something about heaps of litter all over town.
Implementing her idea into practice, Jennifer had two aims: to save the environment and empower local women
who ordinarily where dependent on their husbands for everything.
Jennifer’s job is to ensure that whatever income is made from selling the products produced by these women findsits way to the owner.
Colourful bags, mats, purses made of raw materials.
Apart from helping clean the streets, this project is touching the lives of the women.
Cecilia who is the mother of four children was totally dependent on her husband’s meagre income and their life was very hard.
However, when she joined the group and
started knitting with other women, things changed for better.
Now Cecilia can also make an income to support the family with.
For a 13-year- old Saratu the waste to wealth program is a God send.
She lost her father to the insurgence ravaging the north and had to help her mother to care for her four children.
Although she has only been here for two weeks, Saratu is glad to be able to contribute and help out at home.
