2015 CATALOGUE St. Stephen Children s Centre. Be the change you wish to see in the world - Gandhi

Transcription

1 Helping Children and Vulnerable Members of Makondo, Uganda Since CATALOGUE 2015 St. Stephen Children s Centre Be the change you wish to see in the world - Gandhi PO Box 1385, Masaka, Uganda ststephenchildrenscentre.org ben@ststephenchildrenscentre.org, ,

2 Table of Contents St. Stephen Children s Centre... 3 The Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group... 4 The Magezi Ntakke Youth Woodworking Group... 5 BARKCLOTH CRAFTS... 6 How The Barkcloth Crafts Are Made... 6 Barkcloth Embroidery Colour Choices... 6 Barkcloth Embroidery Design Choices... 7 Barkcloth Embroidered Oval Table Mats... 8 Barkcloth Embroidered Table Coasters... 8 Barkcloth Embroidered Bookmark... 9 Barkcloth Embroidered Money Pouch W/ Snap... 9 Barkcloth Embroidered Handbag W/ Strap Barkcloth Embroidered Heart Photo Frame Barkcloth Painted Postcards From Uganda Barkcloth Christmas Cards HANDWOVEN CRAFTS How The Handwoven Crafts Are Made Handwoven Crafts Colour Choices Handwoven Floor Mat Handwoven Money Pouch W/ Zipper & Strap Handwoven Flat Basket Tray Handwoven Basket with Lid WOODEN CRAFTS How The Wooden Crafts Are Made Wooden Crafts Design Choices

3 Ebony Wooden Key Chain 2D Figures Wooden Key Chain 3D Figures Wooden Christmas Tree Ornaments Wooden Sculptures Gifts for Ugandan Children and Families Sponsorship Tukusanyukidde! Welcome to St. Stephen Children's Centre! We are so honoured that you are considering buying our crafts to help support our centre! We offer a large selection of crafts handmade by two local groups in Makondo: the Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group and the Magezi Ntakke Youth Woodworking Group. These can be bought as gifts for yourself or loved ones or can be bought for resale at stores, craft fairs, and other venues. We also provide the opportunity to send a gift to a child or family in our community, such as a hen, piglet, or goat, or to sponsor a child attending our primary school or a youth or adult supported by our centre. If you wish to order any of these items or to donate a gift to our children and families, please fill out the order form at ststephenchildrenscentre.org/craft-order-form.html or contact us directly at the addresses below. All proceeds from these sales go towards the operating costs of our centre, including teacher salaries, health care, food, clean water, tuition, and school supplies for underprivileged students at our centre, and income and training for villagers in our community. We hope you will enjoy these handmade crafts from Uganda. Thank-you for supporting our centre! Weebale nyo! Sincerely, Julie Desroches Co-Founder and Co-Director of The BC Society for St. Stephen Children s Centre bcsociety.ststephenchildrenscentre.org julie@ststephenchildrenscentre.org Ben J Ssemwogerere Founder and Director of St. Stephen Children s Centre ststephenchildrenscentre.org ben@ststephenchildrenscentre.org We would especially like to thank all of the members of the Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group and the Magezi Ntakke Youth Woodworking Group who have lovingly created all of these crafts, and to Wanda Giesbrecht and the Pirates of the Lakes whose fundraisers have helped to support these groups. Weebale nyo! 2

4 St. Stephen Children s Centre St. Stephen Children s Centre is a Community-Based Organization (Non-Governmental Organization) in the Lwengo District of Uganda [registration number CD/LDLG 1488]. It was established in 2005 by Ben J Ssesmwogerere to help orphans and AIDS-impacted children and community members in the rural area of Makondo Parish in southwestern Uganda. The centre provides: Nursery and Primary education for over 350 students. Vocational training and work opportunities for older youth and adults. Training in computers and money management and involvement in a cooperative savings program. Health education and training including HIV/AIDS prevention, water, hygiene and sanitation, food security, and nutrition. Sponsorship of vulnerable children, including school fees & materials, food, health care, and other basic needs. Sponsorship of youth for secondary school and vocational training. Sponsorship of vulnerable adults, including health care, basic necessities, and emotional support. 3

5 The Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group All of our barkcloth and hand-woven crafts are made by the Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group. Bakyala Twekembe means women struggle and in this case, women uniting to fight poverty. This group includes over 20 members, predominantly widowed mothers and grandmothers of underprivileged children who are supported by St. Stephen Children s Centre. The group includes a chairperson, treasurer, and secretary and their mission is to alleviate poverty for women and children in their community. Together, the group collects and prepares local materials such as bark and palm leaves, then designs and creates hand-woven mats, baskets, hats and handbags, as well as bark cloth cards, placemats, photo frames, bags, and decorative boxes. St. Stephen Children s Centre orders and buys crafts from them, and in turn, the members of the Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group provide vocational training for our centre, teaching students and other villagers in how to make and sell these crafts. St. Stephen Children s Centre then finds partners to sell these crafts to locally and internationally, and profits from these sales help to fund the operating costs of the centre. St. Stephen Children s Centre also provides training, funding, and international partnerships with other organizations to help further support the Bakyala Twekembe Craft Group in their endeavor to become a successful small business and reduce poverty in their area, particularly among women and children. 4

6 The Magezi Ntakke Youth Woodworking Group All of our wood crafts are made by the Magezi Ntakke Youth Woodworking Group. Magezi Ntakke refers to a Ugandan parable about how working hard and learning a skill can lead to employment and self-reliance. This group was started in 2006 with support from St. Stephen Children s Centre to build a workshop. The group includes a chairperson, treasurer, and secretary and their mission is to alleviate poverty by providing practical vocational training to youth and adults who have been unable to attend and complete secondary school. Students learn valuable skills in carpentry and joinery, including furniture building and craft-making, and many of the group s graduates have gone on to find employment in woodworking jobs throughout Uganda. Most of the costs of the group are now selffinanced through sales of their furniture throughout Uganda, including to the Ugandan government. St. Stephen Children s Centre has bought furniture from this group, and the group has also donated several of the wooden benches they have built to the centre. St. Stephen Children s Centre also orders and buys wood crafts from them, and finds partners to sell these crafts to locally and internationally. Profits from these sales help to fund the operating costs of the centre. St. Stephen Children s Centre also provides training, funding, and international partnerships with other organizations to help further support the Magezi Ntakke Youth Woodworking Group in their endeavor to become a successful small business and reduce poverty in their area, particularly among youth. 5

7 BARKCLOTH CRAFTS How The Barkcloth Crafts Are Made After the outer bark of the mutuba (ficus) tree is removed, the inner bark is removed carefully and soaked, pounded, and laid to dry in the sun to create a cloth-like material. Banana leaves are wrapped around the tree which allows the tree to regenerate its bark in about 2 weeks. Dried nsansa (swamp reeds) and natural dyes are used to embroider designs on the bark cloth to make table mats, bags, cards, and other crafts. Barkcloth Embroidery Colour Choices Nsansa embroidery on barkcloth crafts comes in the following selection of colours: Purple Orange Green Natural/Cream Yellow Fushia Pink Blue 6

8 Barkcloth Embroidery Design Choices Nsansa embroidery on barkcloth crafts comes in the following selection of designs: Flower Design Branch Design African Woman Design 7

9 Barkcloth Embroidered Oval Table Mats (Small = Approx. 16 x 12 cm, Large = Approx. 30 x 22 cm, choice of colour & Design for embroidery, set = 1 large & 4 small) $25 USD for the set (or $5 USD per small, $10 USD per large) Barkcloth Embroidered Table Coasters (Approx. 10 cm diameter, choice of Heart or Circle shape, choice of colour & Design for embroidery) $5 USD each 8

10 Barkcloth Embroidered Bookmark (Approx. 17 x 5 cm, choice of colour & Design for embroidery) $5 USD each Barkcloth Embroidered Money Pouch W/ Snap (Approx. 12 x 9 cm, choice of colour & Design for embroidery) $10 USD 9

11 Barkcloth Embroidered Handbag W/ Strap (Approx. 20 x 22 cm, choice of colour & Design for embroidery) $15 USD Barkcloth Embroidered Heart Photo Frame (Fits 5x7 inch Photo, choice of colour & Design for embroidery) $15 USD 10

12 Barkcloth Painted Postcards From Uganda (Choice of Design) $5 USD each Barkcloth Christmas Cards (little drummer boy & african mary and baby jesus) $10 USD for the set of 2 cards 11

13 HANDWOVEN CRAFTS How The Handwoven Crafts Are Made Hand-weaving is a cultural tradition in Uganda, something that is learned from and passed down through the generations. Women and youth dry, dye, weave, braid, and coil nsansa (swamp reeds) or banana palm stems to create mats, baskets, and other items. Mats are used throughout the home for bedding, sitting, wrapping and carrying objects, and drying foods. More elaborate ones are symbols of respect for guests, given as wedding gifts, or used to lay the deceased for burials. Handwoven Crafts Colour Choices Nsansa and banana palm handwoven crafts come in the following selection of colours: Purple Orange Green Natural/Cream Yellow Fushia Pink Blue 12

14 Handwoven Floor Mat (approx cm x cm, choice of colours) $ 30 USD Handwoven Money Pouch W/ Zipper & Strap (Small = Approx. 14 x 9 cm, Large = Approx. 18 x 8 cm, choice of colours) $ 8 USD for small, $ 10 USD for large 13

15 Handwoven Flat Basket Tray (Small = approx. 10 cm diameter & 15 cm height, Large = approx. 20 cm diameter & 30 cm in height, choice of colours) $ 10 USD for small, $ 20 USD for large Handwoven Basket with Lid (Small = approx. 5 cm diameter & 15 cm height, Large = approx. 10 cm diameter & 30 cm HEIGHT, choice of colours) $ 10 USD for small, $ 20 USD for large 14

16 WOODEN CRAFTS How The Wooden Crafts Are Made Wood is harvested from northern Uganda and purchased in Kampala. It comes from a variety of trees, including ebony trees. The wood is carved using hand tools such as chisel, grinding stone, clamp brush, jack plane, hammer, and hand saws, and painted or varnished using natural dyes. Wooden Crafts Design Choices Wooden crafts are custom-made. They can be either painted/varnished or left natural, and designs typically include Ugandan animals and people engaged in traditional activities. The following design choices are available for orders: Giraffe, Zebra, Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Tortoise, Water Buffalo, Fish, Gorilla, Monkey, Hippo, Antelope, Crocodile, Rooster/Hen, Piglet, Goat, Crested Crane, Hornbill African men (e.g., warrior, fisherman) and women (e.g., carrying bowls or sticks, caring for a baby) 15

17 Ebony Wooden Key Chain 2D Figures (Approx. 10 cm x 5 cm, Choice of design) $5 USD each Wooden Key Chain 3D Figures (Approx. 10 cm x 5 cm, Choice of design and painted or natural) $5 USD each 16

18 Wooden Christmas Tree Ornaments (Approx. 10 cm x 5 cm, 2015 Set: Giraffe, Zebra, Lion & Elephant) $5 USD each Wooden Sculptures Small-sized Sculptures (approx. 6 x 15 cm, Choice of design and painted or natural) $15 USD 17

19 Medium-sized Sculptures (various sizes, Approx x 10-30cm, (Choice of design and painted or natural) $20 USD 18

20 Sculptures with more intricate designs (various sizes, approx. 20 x 15 cm, Choice of design and painted or natural) $30 USD 19

21 Gifts for Ugandan Children and Families A Hen $15 USD A Piglet $50 USD A Goat $55 USD The most appreciated gift you can give the children and families we support is the gift of a farm animal. Eggs from hens, meat from pigs, and milk from goats can feed a family and be sold for supplemental income. Breeding animals leads to an ongoing, sustainable source of income which in turn can allow families to pay for tuition for their children and vocational training for youth, women, and farmers. Our prices include costs for rearing and medicine for better animal care. Instead of buying birthday, Christmas, or wedding gifts for family and friends, buy a hen, piglet or goat for a family in need. We will send personalized messages of thanks to you and to anyone on whose behalf you are giving this gift. Just provide us with a list of names along with your donation. 20

22 Sponsorship Sponsorship of a Primary School Child $300 USD Sponsorship of a Youth or Adult $300 to 500 USD Our centre supports many children, youth, and adults in need. Many children in rural Uganda are orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic. One in four households in Uganda foster at least one orphan and provide for their health, shelter, nutrition, education and other needs. However, many of these caregivers are overburdened and often lack the money to provide adequate care and support. Many youth and adults, particularly women, the elderly, and disabled persons, lack education and training to be employed and are unable to make an income, despite having many children or grandchildren to take care of. A sponsorship of $300 USD per year helps to provide a child in primary school with health care, food, clean water, tuition, and school supplies. Older youth and adults can also be sponsored for a one-time sum of $300 to $500 USD to receive vocational training, which will allow them to find employment and become self-reliant. Most importantly, you will have the opportunity to develop a relationship and become close to your sponsored child, youth or adult. You will experience first-hand how your kindness is truly changing someone s life for the better. Our greatest hope is that this very special friendship will change your life for the better too. 21