A Stellenbosch organisation recently teamed up with local women in Kayamandi to launch their new socio-economic development project.
This is according to Jeanneret Momberg, chief executive officer of Visit Stellenbosch. The project, called Bags4Bread, was launched in March and aims to support local Kayamandi families by providing them with an income, said Momberg. At the same time, they hope to reduce plastic pollution through this project.
Xoliswa Portia Nzanzana, manager and lead crocheter of Bags4Bread stated that the organisation brings hope to unemployed women, especially herself, as the Covid-19 pandemic hit her hard financially. PHOTO: Sourced/Visit Stellenbosch.
From bags to riches
According to Visit Stellenbosch’s website, the women who work for the project use their crochet skills to upcycle plastic bags into sustainable products.
Seven women are currently involved in this project, Xoliswa Portia Nzanzana, manager and lead crocheter of the project, told MatieMedia via written correspondence.
Products created from this project include water bottle bags, wine bags and lanyards, stated Momberg.
With every bag and lanyard that is sold at Visit Stellenbosch, 70% of the proceeds go towards the seven women, said Momberg. “It is very important that the beneficiaries of this project [are] the women that create the product.”
Visit Stellenbosch collaborated with seven women from Kayamandi who turn plastic bags into upcycled products like water bottle bags with their crochet skills. This is according to Jeanneret Momberg, the chief executive officer of Visit Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Andrea de Lilly
An increase in demand for the products will result in more women being employed and thus more families being fed, according to Madeléne Manuel, operations manager of Visit Stellenbosch.
“Since Covid, life [has] not been easy,” said Nzanzana about her struggles with finding work. She explained that, through this project, she and the other women involved are able to earn an income and feed their families.
‘Plarn’: turning plastic into yarn
“[Plarn is] plastic yarn […] you make your own yarn from plastic [and] in our case we use bread bags,” explained Momberg. She said that she came across plarn, the material currently used by Bags4Bread, while searching for new crocheting materials.
While Bags4Bread is a socio-economic project trying to support local families, it is also an environmental project, said Momberg. “A water bottle bag [is made from] six to seven plastic bags […] and a wine bag needs 12, so we can make a substantial difference in the environment.”
Each product made by Bags4Bread can make a positive environmental impact, according to Jeanneret Momberg, the chief executive officer of Visit Stellenbosch, the organisation that launched the initiative. Six to seven plastic bags are used to make one water bottle bag, one lanyard is made from three bags and one wine bag takes 12 bags, said Momberg. PHOTO: Andrea de Lilly
According to Momberg, the project is still in the stock-building phase and products will be made available to the public soon.