NOLWANDLE CRAFTS PROJECT

In conjunction with Dyer Island Cruises, the Nolwandle Crafts Project was a community development program initiated in 2006 as an initiative to provide employment for previously disadvantaged people in the local community. Fifteen women from the local township of Masakhane were provided with beading and craft training, which they now use to make sellable products, as means of becoming financially self sufficient. The training empowers these women as we are giving them skills which they can use to provide for themselves and their families.

The women produce beaded jewellery and accessories, keychains, as well as traditional clothing pieces. Due to the marine inspiration of many of the crafts, a market was created allowing the women to develop both the project and empower themselves jointly. They sell their works of art to locals within the township, at various community events, as well as to the thousands of tourists that come to Gansbaai for whale watching and shark cage diving.

The women chose the name "Nolwandle" as it means "the sea and us "in their native Xhosa language.

The Nolwandle project is part of our ongoing commitment to responsible tourism, giving consideration to the social, economic, and environmental impact of our operations, thereby spreading the benefits that tourism can bring. By joining forces with Grootbos, The Great White House and other associates in the tourism industry, we will be able to supply 'Nolwandle' with a market for their products. We would like to see 'Nolwandle' develop the necessary skills to become an exceptional and sustainable enterprise.

In December 2007, the Nolwandle women received a contract to make over 1000 bags for the participants of the 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, hosted by the Society for Marine Mammals, in Cape Town.

© 2008 Dyer Island Conservation Trust