Categories
Projects Women I've Shot

Commercial Commission
For Soil For Life (NGO)

I shot the 2018 campaign for NGO Soil For Life which was founded by my (amazing) mother Pat Featherstone. Although the campaign included many male gardeners I’ve just included the projects which originated with women (for the sake of this all-female blog).

Soil For Life run workshops and courses both at their headquarter gardens in Constantia and around the poorer areas in Cape Town where they train both young and old how to grow their own food.

The images shown here are a representation of gardens in Lavender Hill, Delft and Phillipi.

From their website:

We believe EVERYONE has the potential to grow nutritious food, with whatever resources they have available.

Since we started in 2002 we have helped thousands of people in resource poor communities to develop productive and sustainable home food gardens.

We have also shared valuable information about health and nutrition and provided them with the knowledge and tools to live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives.

Growing People

We believe in growing people and endeavour to provide employment and further training opportunities. Several of our ‘graduates’ have become Soil for Life trainers and field workers.

Our Train the Trainer programme started in 2012 to extend our reach and impact. This two year course broadens the knowledge and skills of our most outstanding home gardeners, enabling them to become assistant trainers and support other gardeners in their communities.

Growing Income

We’ve seen over the years how some people become very interested in specific aspects of food gardening, such as growing seedlings, making compost or growing vegetables.

We provide mentoring, training and support as needed so they can explore these areas on a deeper level and potentially generate income. We have a flexible process to enable home gardeners to further develop their skills in areas that interest them, or where they have identified a gap in the market.

Categories
Projects Women I've Shot Women Related Happenings

PROJECT
DARE Womens Foundation, Tanzania: Entrepreneurship

In June 2019 I had a half day opportunity, while on a cross-continental Africa trip, to make a visit to the DARE Womens Foundation based in Arusha, Tanzania. The Foundation was more than an hour drive each way which gave me only an hour to make a quick visit, speak with the ladies and make some portraits of the project they were involved with.

Below you can see some examples of the products the women here are making. The picture of my feet was just a humours observation though. The ladies offered me their shoes to move around more easily in so I could shoot outdoors without having to lace up my trainers each time.

DARE Women’s Foundation works to help women start small businesses by providing micro loans and encouraging creativity and innovation.

Some projects include making carpets and handbags out of littered produce bags, making shoes out of recycled tires and making jewellery out of beads, fabric, and local plants.

It is difficult for Tanzanian women to access the support they need to start their own small businesses, such as micro loans or advising. Earning an income for women means empowerment. When women contribute to their household’s income, they are often more respected by their male peers and research has shown that women are likely to spend their money on their children’s education. (Text from the DARE website) 

I had another look at their website and wanted to share their “About us” page…

The Dare Women’s Foundation is an NGO working to empower Tanzanian women and girls, with a focus on rural areas, through poverty alleviation, social justice, economic empowerment, and gender equality.

Many of the women we work with have endured tragedies such as rape, discrimination, domestic violence. Most all of them deal with lack of feminine hygiene care, little nutrition and conservation education, young marriage, and large family size due to lack of contraception and sex education.

​By bringing these women together, educating them about their rights, giving them a voice, and supporting them in their endeavors, the Dare Women’s Foundation is changing Tanzania one woman at a time. When you educate a girl, you educate a community.

The Dare Women’s Foundation is located in Tanzania and is currently working in the Tanga region (Mtae and Mambo villages) and Arusha region (Malala, Majengo, Moshono and Olasiti villages). It was in Arusha that I met the ladies who I photographed.

Above you can see the plastic “wool” this lady is crocheting with.

Below is one of the crotchet clutch bags the ladies make. This one is made from recycled plastic bags and beads.

At each meeting/workshop the ladies take turns to cook for each other.