Exuma artisans receive a helping hand in business

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer
jgibson@tribunemedia.net

HANDICRAFTS created from coconut are one of the most common items made by Bahamian craftsmen. A workshop hosted by the Exuma Crafters Network (ECN) exposed participants to a myriad of ways coconut crafts can be properly manufactured.

An initiative designed by the Crafters Network involves empowering women economically through training and skills development.

The ECN started two years ago and is made up of a group of women in the handicraft industry. They decided to start the network as a team to improve their economic conditions and showcase the talents of the women of Exuma.

The ECN was formed under the 18 month project called the Exuma Woman Project funded by the United Nations Women (UN Women) organisation and managed by the Inter-American Institute for the Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The group is led by Martha Hanna-Smith, a native of Acklins island.
UN Women is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their rights worldwide.

According to Shacara Lightbourne of the (IICA), the ECN intends to carry out its goals by educating and developing the skills of the women. Through theoretical, practical and specialty workshops they seek to also preserve the Bahamian craft culture.

In keeping with its goal ECN hosted the coconut workshop and several other programmes. The workshop involved instruction on the proper use and maintenance of tools for the manufacturing of coconut jewellery and crafts.
Participants were also exposed to product designs, packaging of products, preparation of the raw material, the art of product display and safety in the work space.

The ECN held additional workshops in the past that assisted participants with writing skills.
“The women have also had a project management and grant writing workshop where they learned all the components of a project, how it should be implemented and how to find international grant funding for their projects and their own individual businesses,” said Ms Lightbourne.

The highlight of the workshop was session on the importance of record keeping in a business to be able to show accountability when applying and receiving grant funding. Upcoming workshops will include coconut craft, labelling, marketing and packaging, use of innovative raw material, marketing and entrepreneurship and shell crafts, said Ms Lightbourne.
She said workshops are important because they show women the opportunities available to them in the Exuma craft industry.

“It will decrease the need to import handicraft items in the country; it creates jobs through entrepreneurship and it preserves our craft culture and heritage. IICA hopes that this project in Exuma will be a pilot project that can be duplicated on other islands of the Bahamas to empower women everywhere,” she said.

Recently, four industrial sewing machines, bench grinders, dremmel kits and other craft tools from the IICA were donated to the Exuma Crafters Network. A demonstration was done by Phil Stubbs, of Phil’s Sewing Machines to introduce the women to the sewing machines, how to use them to their full potential. The women were also taught proper maintenance techniques.
President of ECN Martha Smith who received the grant on behalf the ECN thanked UN Women and IICA for its support.

Comments

dana says...

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Posted 17 March 2014, 8:16 a.m. Suggest removal

CarrieBaker says...

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Posted 2 February 2015, 2:25 p.m. Suggest removal

Petra says...

There are many women that are choosing to do something really nice with their free time and they are usually developing skills that they have while they were young. A hobby that can be transformed into a business is a very good idea especially for a stay at home mom. If you visit <a href="http://bethscreative.com/">http://bethscreative.com/</a> you will see an example of a woman that managed to create really great objects that the community adores.

Posted 12 February 2015, 8:56 a.m. Suggest removal

gukevo says...

This is an excellent initiative from ECN because they are helping some really talented children to become known, especially the hard-working and talented ones. The <a href="http://www.featherstore.com/Boas-feathe…">feather boas</a> or other accessories made by hand are a really great to use when you want to give your classic look a twist.

Posted 15 February 2015, 7:01 a.m. Suggest removal

Petra says...

Handmade items are highly appreciated nowdays especially because each item is unique and envelops skills that we'd like to have if we had more free time to pursue such a hobby. These coconut jewellery and crafts would make a perfect gift for anyone and people like <a href="http://www.cristylane.com/">http://www.cristylane.com/</a> who want to show appreciation to their fans and friends would certainly find them suitable. Hopefully there will be more workshops like this that will encourage people to develop their skills and continue to create beautiful things for us to enjoy.

Posted 20 February 2015, 2:32 a.m. Suggest removal

Ramone says...

This article shows that people still care about handmade things, about art and how much effort is put in it. For crafting stuff you need quality tools like resistant oil colors, natural hair [industrial brushes][1] , good sewing machines and so on. Art is the thing that cheers our souls up.

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Posted 26 February 2015, 5:34 p.m. Suggest removal

Petra says...

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Posted 28 February 2015, 11:34 a.m. Suggest removal

KateThinnery says...

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Posted 28 February 2015, 12:30 p.m. Suggest removal

Petra says...

Getting trained and developing handicraft skills is a way to ensure social integration and give women the possibility to be financially independent. Workshops that teaches you how to manufacture different items, like coconut crafts, needlework, jewelry making or beautiful glass fusing items like the ones you can see on <a href="http://www.amusinglass.com">AMusinGlass</a> are really useful, providing a viable solution to make a living for people all over the world. As handicraft items are so appreciated nowdays, having the skills for it can pay the bills beautifully.

Posted 1 March 2015, 5:22 a.m. Suggest removal

holymoly says...

When running any business you have to use the correct strategies in order to make it a successful one. There are a lot of artisans in Bahamas that ran businesses there and some of them became successful during the last years. There were also a part of them who experienced a financial crisis and they recovered with some help from companies such as <a href="http://www.globalcheckrecovery.com/reso…">http://www.globalcheckrecovery.com/reso…</a>.

Posted 21 May 2015, 3:13 p.m. Suggest removal

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