
from £2000
Rubbish into craft and art
Ref:
GYC 1166473
Countries:
Mexico
Duration:
from 2 months
or call:
0845 344 7588
more info:
click here
This would suit:
Creativity and imagination are essential to convert items found on the local rubbish dump into saleable art and craft products. Yu would need good communication skills to teach the community how to make and sell their products.
Cost details:
£475 each extra month
Duration details:
Project can be extended
Product Details
This art and craft project is based in Puerto Vallarta a beautiful town on the Pacific coast of Mexico.. On the edge of the town is a sprawling rubbish dump. There are several communities who live around the dump who struggle to earn a living.
Outreach International work with thirty women from one of the communities who have all demonstrated that they have skills such as sewing, making cloths, producing art and craft products and weaving. These women are from the poorest backgrounds. The only resources they have are their skills and rubbish which is collected from the local dump. They collect plastic, paper and cardboard and turn it into bags, baskets, picture frames and other products that are sold through a good outlet in the Puerto Vallarta airport. In addition to providing them with a reasonable income this gives them self-esteem, self-worth and financial stability.
Volunteer Activities

Volunteers are needed to help in up to four different areas:
- The women are independently set up to run their own small businesses. They do this well but they have had minimal education and only the basics of reading and writing. Most of them have never had a bank account. They would benefit from being taught things that most of us take for granted such how to use a cell phone, how to use email, (there are email cafes in Puerto Vallarta) and how to keep their accounts.
- The women have demonstrated their talents but volunteers with art and craft skills are needed to work alongside them and come up with new ideas and new products that could be made out of rubbish. The customers at the outlet are tourists and volunteers often have a good understanding of what they might like to buy.
- All the women and their families want to learn English.
At the moment we work with a small group of women but with volunteer input we hope to expand the number up to thirty, all of whom need training. The project director is finding other places to sell the craft products. This is not just about producing art and craft items it is also about managing a small business.
Our users say...I have had the most brilliant time on the project and the work is so varied. My time was split between going to Punta de
Mita and helping Rubbish into Art with workshops there for the women. Going to different peoples houses who live at the dump and making recycled bags which have sewn linings. On Fridays I went to
the prison to give art workshops there which was a great experience.
The women are all very keen workers but many lack an eye for colour
and proportion. At the moment they sew bags, and broaches etc. and
Monica is begining to teach them to print onto fabric. Any new
products that you could design, and new skills you could teach would
be welcomed and quality control is definately an issue.
Whats brilliant about working with Outreach International is you will also get the oppotunity to dabble in their other programs as an when you like. You could volunteer in the schools, and the animal clinic or help on their
environmental campaigns.
Jo Tallis

from £2000
Outreach International
Outreach International places committed volunteers in carefully selected meaningful projects:small,worthwhile,grassroots initiatives working with communities where volunteers can make a big difference. All volunteers are personally met and briefed about their selected project and visited regularly by the Outreach Director.Outreach International has a clear mission statement and operates a carbon neutral program
or call:
0845 344 7588