Women devise ‘a plarn’ to create employment

Two friends chatting over coffee about crafting gave rise to an initiative that has benefited numerous unemployed women in Umlazi.

It was over a coffee catch-up that avid crafters Lorraine Parkes and Shelley Stievenart, started conceptualising the Magic Bean Foundation a non-profit organisation launched in 2015. Their idea was to mentor, empower and develop skills by sharing knowledge - and in that way help to improve lives and restore the planet.

Through the foundation, which is part of a project called Ilumbo, people are mentored and taught how to use recyclable materials to turn them into practical, reusable and commercially saleable items. Products range from bags and hats to table mats, pot holders and much more, said Ms Parkes.

“The first workshop was held in Umlazi G section. At each workshop the community is taught how to make plarn, which is plastic yarn. They crochet the plarn into a basic pot planter,” said Ms Parkes.

“The women were given starter packs including a scissor, ruler, and crochet hook. Crochet is a skill the Gogo’s passed on from generation to generation. It’s easier than knitting and it can manipulate the plarn better to create wonderful items.”

The women are taught how to cut plastic shopping packets into plarn and further workshops showed them how to make commercialised products. Ms Parkes said the ladies had a tendency to create products with political colours and old-fashioned doilies. They steered them away from that and showed them how to make large mats, beach bags and pot plant holders.”

Plarn is made by cutting shopping bags in a way that when it is unravelled it’s one long piece of plastic. It’s then rolled up into a ball and that is what the women use to crochet products. They make products like toy boxes, laundry baskets, hats, shoes and much more.

The Magic Bean Foundation has grown into an organisation that now empowers community members who have perfected their skills to become trainers at workshops held in other communities.

The original team of women from Umlazi work at the stands in the shopping centres and flea markets to sell goods, taking home 15% of what they make for the day. The balance will go to each person who made the product.

Magic Bean doesn’t get any money from this initiative, but they do fundraise to keep the initiative going, said Ms Parkes.

“The aim of this initiative is to give opportunities to the many people who are sitting at home or are on the streets not earning money. We did this by sharing a skill with them that involves donated items or plastic they can reuse to create something to sell for food for their families – while at the same time doing better for the planet,” she said.

Magic Bean Foundation appeals to the community to help them source plastic – thin shopping bags and municipal bags are needed. Magic Bean Foundation is based in Durban North. They have a stall at the Ballito Lifestyle Centre in the last week of every month.