BACK IN NAMIBIA

I was in the USA for almost 6 months recently, helping with a new grand baby, enjoying the holiday season with children and grand children , and doing shows to support and promote the Namibian women in our project. 

Thanks to many of you, who purchased beads and jewelry, we were able to raise over $10,000 USA dollars to keep our project solvent!  There was a time when we could make enough sales in Namibia alone, but most of our sales in country are to tourists, and fewer and fewer tourists are coming to Namibia these days. We sell in country, only about 1/3 as much now, as we did in the pre-2011 days.

My beautiful model here is Asteria Shilongo. She is facilities manager at our community training center. She is as beautiful inside as out!

When I first realized I would be training Namibian women in hand craft, I must have thought there were 20 of me. I had so many ideas! And I brought tons of supplies to Namibia for all those hundreds of ideas. Back in 2003 and for a few years after, we were allowed two 70 lb. bags of luggage.
Weren't those the days!

Now that both my husband an I are in our 60's, we are looking at a bit slower pace and to spending more time in the USA with our grandkids, while still promoting the hand work of Namibian women.

 We are thinking 9 months in the USA and only 3 months per year in Namibia.( For  the past 13 years it has usually been 9 months in Namibia and 3 in the USA).

All that to say, I recently began going through all those supplies I brought years ago, and passing them on to other organizations who could put them to good use.

When I came to the ribbon box though, I had a hard time giving up all my never used plans for the ribbon.  I also still have lots of fabric I had thought to use for making hand bags.  My most dear friend here has just been diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, so I have been thinking head covers anyway. Over the weekend head bands just kept pouring out of my little garage work room.

Here's one with a crocheted band and silk ribbon flower

I got my crochet patterns here. I love her patterns !

Head bands are such instant gratification! A new one can be whipped out in a little over an hour. And they will be much less complicated to teach than hand bags.

Now the question is..........Is there a market?  Please give me some feed back.  Do you like wide or narrow? Is there a market?

I am also working on some children and baby sizes.

Here's the week end stash

FIVE RAND SQUATTER'S CAMP- a tour

The community of Five Rand got it's name when the farmer who owned the land charged people five rand ( U.S. 50 cents) a month to live there and use his water. (At the time Namibia was part of South Africa)

The land now belongs to the city of Okahandja, and plots can be purchased for $700 to $900 U.S. dollars. Most people however never achieve ownership and just set up their tin home on whatever plot is available.

There are a handful of cement block houses in the camp. I was curious why this one was empty, and was told that it is haunted by a dead child crying in the walls.

Five Rand is not just a place where people have their homes, but there are also many business, churches, a few preschools, and one primary school .

Here is a very nice preschool ( here we say kindergarden) and it doubles as a church on Sunday. I think they used pallets for the wood part.

Here's another church

Butcher

Here's hubby at the take out.

The most frequent business in the camp unfortunately, is that of having a bar as part of your home (called a shebeen)

The reason this is such a problem, is that many, many of the camps residents drink away their small pay checks within the first few days of getting them, and their children go hungry.They sometimes even give children alcohol because it makes them stop crying.  

 There are often bar fights, and I especially pity the children who have this going on right in their home.

  Each bar tries to get customers by playing  louder and louder music and so it's a constant "battle of the bands" especially in the evenings when kids are needing to do homework.
One reason we built the community/youth center is so kids will have a safe place to be, and where they can participate in sports, games, and learning as an alternative to following in their parents foot steps of drinking as the only form of entertainment.
TO BE CONTINUED.......

WORMS YUMMY !

TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI/AP

MOPANE WORMS (actually caterpillar of the emperor moth) are a delicacy all over southern Africa. They hatch after the summer rains, and then everyone runs to the bush to get their share.  Around that time of year I always know when the hatching has begun, because no one comes to
 work ! 
The poor are especially happy for this free food as it has 3 times the protein of beef.

The Mopanes I tasted had been spiced with chili and were not bad at all. The only problem I had was getting past the look of them.  In the future I plan to close my eyes first.
See more in this great article: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/zimbabwe-favorite-snack-mopane-worms-article-
1.1247669

AND NOW FOR THE WINNER OF THE DRAWING:  Lisa    http://carefreejewelrybylisa.blogspot.com/

Thank you everyone for your comments, and by the way, I am working on an Etsy site. Best wishes to all

Related articles

• Worms: A Zimbabwe snack, from tree to dinner table

GIVE AWAY & HOW WE GOT STARTED

Hibiscus brooch 

I am not the best blogger, It's like dieting, I have good intentions, but then life takes over ! So, just to see if anybody is actually out there, I am having a give away. ( Not a subscriber? become a new  subscriber and your name goes in the "hat" twice.)

To be eligible, either ask a question pertaining to the video, or tell me what you would like to read about in the future. For example: More about African life, more about the artisans, more tutorials, more about our products ? etc.

At the end of January 2013 I will draw the winner.

The link below is a video about how I got to Africa and how Work Of Our Hands got started.

Merry Christmas to all ! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyDiiMcIbw#

SO MUCH TO DO !

I always do this.........whichever side of the equator I am on, I think that on the other side I will have more time........but it's never true!
First thing to do upon arriving in the Northern Hemisphere is of course to unpack.  Amazing that nothing was broken since we all know how luggage is handled. We only bring a few clothes. The rest is all merchandise.

Then, there's the jobs I left unfinished in Namibia, like getting these pendants attached to their necklaces.   I still have some to finish.......

Last year we bought a town house with a basement, so for the first time since moving to Africa, I can have a studio when I'm back in the USA . Had to do it on the cheap, with used equipment, but I'm happy as a pig in mud. Yea for Craig's list !

Here's my 30 year old Shimpo wheel (still working like a champ) with home made splash guard, and foam on a bucket seat. I think Shimpo is a pretty great product to be working so well at such an age !

Of course I'm twice as old and also still in good working condition. "Knock on wood ."

Some bisque I just fired.

My Paragon and Skutt kilns. The big one came with the wheel, but I was afraid I could never fill it. Plus to tell the truth, I'm a bit scared of figuring out the kiln sitter, and if it's working right. (  just when I thought I had used every type of kiln from manual to automatic, now another one to learn)

All the ceramic products are different here, so I'm preparing some color test tiles.  Amaco Velvet underglaze.......they will perk up and look much better when fired. So far I am thrilled with the feel and coverage of the product.

Had a small home show last week end. It wasn't well attended, but I think it will grow in time. Everyone who came was very positive, and better yet they bought!

There was lots of jewelry too, only I forgot to take pictures.

Now for the decision as to whether to put some products for sale on line while I'm here.  People always ask me about that and then when I do it, no one buys. It's a lot of work, and I'd rather be in the studio ! What'cha think?