PAPER CREATIONS

ABOUT THE PAPER CREATIONS

From colourful used magazines the Neema Women’s Group makes paper beads. They cut and roll pages taken from the magazines before varnishing them to create beautiful and unique end products. Most popular are the single strand paper bead elastic bracelets and the paper bead earrings.

In December 2013 the group started to explore another paper art… recycled elephant poo paper. As elephant dung is free and abundant in this area, it makes a good base for recycled paper with a fun and wholly African twist. Elephants are poor digesters of their food and therefore kindly do the first stage of any paper making process: providing the fibres. The group recycle the poo into (clean and crispy!) paper, which Wildlife Works uses in their soap factory for packaging their organic soap. The group is quickly evolving, exploring different paper creations that can find their way to the market - so one can soon expect a new collection!

ABOUT THE LADIES

Neema Women’s Group was started in 2011 by six women, it now has over fourteen members. Mwachabo is a dry and dusty place, without any water supplies or electricity. This women’s group was started by the women to earn some income from the making of paper beads in the hope of helping their children and other family members.

The overarching mission of Neema Women’s Group is to teach their community members the importance of conserving the environment and to help prevent human/wildlife conflict. Therefore at the end of 2013 the group started making elephant poo paper. As elephant dung serves as the ingredient for a cash income for the group, it means elephants are slowly been considered an asset rather than a threat.

In 2014 Neema Women’s Group has started to grow Moringa and other indigenous trees. Moringa is highly nutritious plant which has a series of health properties, such as boosting individuals’ immune system. The women will sell the seeds and powder they obtain from Moringa locally.