Crafters workshop sows skills in KwaMakhutha
Community members are being trained to make fashionable items.
A CRAFTERS’ workshop which aims to create jobs for locals in KwaMakhutha and Umlazi kicked off on Tuesday, 29 July.
The project sees some 20 community members being trained to make fashionable handbags, beadwork and accessories using recycled material.
The trainees are between and 18 and 60 years of age and applications were open to all interested parties. The workshop, which is in its third year, runs for two weeks at KwaMdladla Anglican Church in uMlazi.
Crafters who have received training through the workshop also take part in a ‘train-a-trainer’ programme which encourages them to pass on what they have learnt through the project to other hopeful artists. These crafters have started their own businesses, selling their material to make a sustainable living.
The development initiative is driven by the KwaZulu-Natal Arts and Culture Department as part of on-going efforts to empower the people with skills to better themselves.
“We support the development of craft as an art form and encourage other members of society to join the department in our efforts to preserve our environment by recycling material and creating art at the same time,” said the project’s Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha.
