25 basket weavers learn new designs
Twenty-five women have completed a one-week training workshop on how best to come out with new designs in basket weaving to attract more customers at Sirigu in the Kassena Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.
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The women, who already have some basic knowledge in basket weaving, were taken through processes such as splitting of the straw, twisting of the straw, selection of small, medium and big straws, dyeing of the straws and starting the base of the oval and square-shaped baskets.
It has been observed that these types of baskets attract large customers both in Ghana and abroad, yet very few women have the requisite skills in the region to do such weaving.
Project
The workshop was under a five-year project dubbed, "Women Leadership for Economic Empowerment and Food Security in Africa". It is being implemented in Ghana, Zambia and Ethiopia.
The University for Development Studies (UDS) and the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) are the lead institutions for its implementation, while the Sirigu Women's Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA), the Centre for Cosmo Vision and Indigenous Knowledge (CECIK) and the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM) are the local partners in the Upper East Region.
The project is being funded by the Canadian Government through the COADY Institute of the St Francis Xavier University, Novo Scotia, Antigonish Canada.
Training
A trainer from the Bolgatanga Basket Weavers Cooperative Club (BBWCC), Madam Faustina Atiah, explained that more skills were required to weave the oval and square- shaped baskets.
The Executive Director of the SWOPA, Madam Bridget Akasise, noted that the partnership with CIKOD and the UDS started in 2013, with emphasis on carrying out similar workshops for women and conducting research, all geared towards improving the living conditions of women in deprived communities of the region.
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Madam Akasise further observed that the SWOPA had engaged a lot of women in pottery, batik, tie-dye making, wall decorations, among other activities, all in a bid to make women earn incomes and support their families.
The Women Economic Empowerment Programme Manager of the CIKOD, Madam Elham Mumuni, said her outfit focused on the internal strengths and knowledge of women and building on them through external interventions to improve the quality of life of women and their families.