Beachcomber Magazine 02

LocalHands LIFE SKILLS AND TALENT ARtISANAt : SAvoIR-FAIRE Et SAvoIR-êtRE A handful of artisans have grouped together to form the association LocalHands, an initiative supported by the Fondation Espoir Développement, which does much more than promoting local crafts. Ils sont une poignée d’artisans à s’être regroupés dans l’association LocalHands. une initiative soutenue par la Fondation Espoir Développement qui va bien au-delà de la valorisation de l’artisanat local. in 1999, after the death of the creole singer Kaya, there were riots on the island, mainly from the most underprivileged people here. Following this, the Beachcomber group created the Fondation espoir dévelop- pement to implement its social respon- sibility and bring concrete help to the poorest people ,”explainsMalennOodiah, asociologist,andunpaidchairmanof theFEDandtheGroup’scommuni- cationmanager.Oneoftheinitiativesisthe“Projet EmployabilitéJeunes”(youthemplo- yabilityproject)launchedin2001, whichhassofarhelpedover1,200 youngpeopleonthesidelinestogain accesstoemployment.Anotheristhe associationLocalHandswhichbegan in2006,tohelpsomesixtycraftwor- kers–andtheirfamilies–tobreakout ofisolationandfindjobsecurity.Some ofthemworkathome,andthe others–mostlywomen–havetaken overthefourworkshops–sewing,pot- tery,woodworkandrecycledmate- rials–providedforthem. A DAILY COMBAT “ it was my son who told me about Localhands. he asked a manager to come and meet me. since then i have had regular orders from the hotels: baskets, pool skimmers and honeycomb chairs ,”saysSanjayBrambodary,51. Blindsincetheageof7,helearnttowork withrattanwhenhereachedhisteens. Whenhisworkbenchwasblownaway inahurricane,hesetupshopunder thetreeoppositehishouse,untilhe couldbuildarealshed. Anjuarrivedinthetextileworkshopin Phoenixwithvirtuallynoskills.Forayear sheattendedasewingcoursefunded bytheFED.Herhardworkdidtherest. “ my son is studying archaeology at madras university in india. i’m working so i can send him a bit of money, but it’s a daily struggle. ”InBambous,Lisette,Liseby,Georgette, Estherandothersmakelittleobjects (keyrings,ringsforsarongs)outof cocofibre,stagwoodorChineseguava wood.Popwantstobeself-employed. “ We’re helping him find premises and we make sure he can pay back the loan. Our aim is for everyone to reach some form of independence ,”explainsviren vythelingum,managerofLocalHands. viren,39,knowsthemwellashehas workedwiththemeveryday.“ We work to find regular clients and extend our distribution network in hotel shops, trade fairs and markets. the craftwor- kers set the prices, and receive all the income generated. But there is much more tobedone. in addition to the orga- nisation, we have to develop a whole mindset, just to make them all feel responsible, and encourage them to comply with safety regulations, like wearing a mask, or to honour delivery dates. it’s a lot to ask of people who sometimes don’t even have food to eat. it takes time. We’re well on the way. there is a real sense of enthusiasm. ” RECOVERING ONE’S DIGNITY “ When i get here, i put my hands in the clay and i forget all my worries ,”says Cathy.Therearefiveofthem,allinthis together,andallfiercelyloyal.“ if you BY FANNY RIVA PHOTOGRAPHS PIERRE PERRIN ‘‘ 