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ABOUT ECO AFRICA's CRAFTING COMMUNITIES
In 1998 a New York based designer with a passion for handmade paper started working with unskilled unemployed women to help them form themselves into crafting collectives.
In 2003 the collectives started working out of two church halls rented from the parish council on a old mission station set in rural surrounding on the perimeter of Chitungwiza.
The women identified themselves loosely under the name Eco Africa and their products are branded under that name. They are proud of their identity and like to be known as Eco Africa paper crafters. Free lunches are provided for all on campus.
Chitungwiza is home to many communities of artistic people.
The focus of Eco Africa's crafters is handmade paper-making and the crafting of the paper into beautiful gift products. Additional artistic and crafting groups from around the country produce the embellishments that decorate the products, such as stone carvings, wire art, sisal twine and wood art.
Many of the women in the collectives have no previous employment experience prior to joining the collectives.
The beautiful tactile handmade papers they make are crafted from natural and recycled materials using an earth-friendly process which is kind to the environment.
The richly textured Fiber Paper is made from the fibers of dried wild plants and shrubs, which are constantly self-renewed.
A finer, smoother Cotton Paper is made from pure cotton off-cuts from local T-shirt manufacturers, resulting in papers many of which boast vibrant, bright colors.
The gifts themselves include a range of products, from exquisite, brightly colored note books to richly textured picture frames and photo albums. All the crafting work is carried out by hand, and the production systems and techniques focus on quality and on-time delivery.
Some of the women have become experts at what they do and they have become the teachers and leaders of their particular specialty. A nurturing environment exists where the women have become a family and are able to support each other emotionally through the difficult times that have evolved.
Eco Africa Crafters are now a self sustaining collective of proudly expert women capable of running their own organization and fulfilling and shipping orders from customers all over the world.