Transform Lives in Madagascar with Silk and Raffia

GLOBAL GIVING REPORT JANUARY 2022 :

1. Arrival of the raw materials
2. Dyeing experiment with plant
3. New products 2022
4. Challenges to overcome

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT :

On behalf of the Sepali Madagascar team members 2022, I address our special thanks to the GlobalGiving donors . Without your help, Sepali Madagascar did not have the capacity as well as the opportunity to overcome the various  barriers that we were facing.

Your support has  allowed us to overcome the Covid 19 problem, the hurricane damage and catch up the missing of some working equipment. Therefore, the team was able to develop new products.

This year 2022, Sepali Madagascar wishes to stay in touch with GlobalGiving and continue our efforts  to reach the ultimate  goals which is to provide new income generation to our member farmers.

I wish you all the best. 

Cordially,

Ratsimbazafy Mamy ( Director of Sepali Madagascar)

1. Arrival of the raw materials

Raw raffia:

During the last three months of 2021, Sepali Project has focused on the processing of Bombyx silk and Ceranchia silk as well as raffia .

After five years interruption of raffia processing due to the difficulty of raffia harvesting, Sepali Madagascar has decided to relaunch the raffia program this year.

To do so, Sepali has projected a purchase of 100 kilos of raw raffia. Thus produced by  10 families from Ambodivoangy community  group called FTMTA.

Sepali has set up a collaboration with Fenozara Justin ( Our community-leader in Ambodivoangy).

We estimate to purchase 10kilos of raw raffia from each farmer by April 2022.

Raw silk cocoons:

Sepali has been working with 20 families from Bealanana since 2015 and since, their cocoon production increases every year ( from 30kilos to 150 kilos). The Bealanana farmers led by Mr Filemona have never stopped monitoring as well as gathering the Ceranchia cocoons.

Bealanana village is far away from Maroantsetra, so Filemona and his two collaborators had to walk during 4 days carrying 15 kilos of cocoons per person to get to the Sepali office in Maroantsetra.

Upon arriving in Maroantsetra, the cocoons must be removed from the plastic bags and then dry in the sun before weighing.

The Bealanana farmers have trust on Filemona who will bring the money back to the village after selling the cocoons to Sepali Madagascar.

2. Dyeing experiment with plant

Maroantsetra is home to various plant-dye species that Sepali is experimenting to use for dyeing both raffia and silk.

After building up a plant-dye nursery in June 2021, it was  time to farm the seedlings in December 2021. Some species will take a few years to grow, whereas the flower species are ready to use after a few months.Those few colors are ready to be  implemented by Sepali starting 2022. 

This year, Sepali is planning to introduce the plant-dye production by the farmers to generate new income.

3. New products of 2022

After gathering enough quantity as well as quality of the raw materials, the Sepali team is very comfortable to develop new innovative  products.

4. Our challenges for 2022 

This year (2022) remains challenging for Sepali Madagascar.

• The covid 19 situation forced each team member to take precaution during the work. The Sepali team continues to wash hands every two hours, wear face-masks and  respect the social distancing. So far, none of the team got its covid vaccine but hopefully, it will come soon.

• The electricity problem : Maroantsetra is very lucky to have electricity 80 percent hours per week ( to compare to Tananarive that has electricity between 0 to 10 percent hours per week). However, the Sepali team is managing the time according to the electricity availability. In the future, we hope to use new energy such as solar power to boost our needs for electricity.

• The third challenge that Sepali Madagascar is facing this year is the weather. After a long rain period, then it is the hurricane period. The hurricane may interrupt the Sepali’s activities during 3 days to 2 weeks.

The SEPALI Madagascar workshop has been especially busy this fall.  We have just learned the Tanana Silk has been accepted to participate and the team has been designing new art pieces that combine original weavings with silk (see attached photos)!  Once again, they blow us away with their original designs.  In addition, Kessa Laxton, our market director and has been working hard to expand our visibility and to wholesale buyers.  Now businesses looking for wholesale products can find us on the web platform Powered  by People.  Angie Brown is expanding our reach direct to store retailers.  The team has had to up production and focus on improving quality control and production volume.  

Update on conservation programs: The SEPALIM team is continuing to expand on its experiments making textile plant dyes.  Some dyes are made from fruits purchased at the market and some are from plants that are gathered and subsequently gardened. The beautiful purple-black dye in the background of the photograph on the left below, is made from the tropical fruit of trees in the   genus, Garcinia.  The common Malagasy name is Mangosta.  The tree is native to countries around the Indian Ocean and has been introduced in South America and Florida.  Mangosta is a slow growing tree, and the fruit is harvested in April. The pulp surrounding the seeds is incredibly delicious and rivals the deliciousness of mangos, in my humble opinion.  The textile dyes are made from the thick, fleshy shell of the fruit seen in the picture on the right.

Ampalibe is the Malagasy name for Jackfruit (below left).  Although it is a native of India it is also grown in Madagascar. It is remarkable for its large size. It is the largest know fruit and can get up to 80 lb. (35kg). In addition to the fruit's beautiful yellow color and very edible flesh, it is packed with nutrients. The fruit is harvested in May, June and October and it tastes like a combination of apples, mangoes, and pineapple.

Update on enterprise: This time last year we reported on our first online shop, www.tananasilk.com, that made its debut in June 2020.  This year the online shop has been completely revised thanks to our product marketer and designer Kessa Laxton. Kessa was hired in March to revamp our enterprise program. She has been working with the team to develop product lines and improve finishing and design consistency. All of these have resulted in operational changes that have been difficult but embraced by the team. We are now ready for the up-coming holidays with a new selection of home wares and wall hangings.  In lieu of a donation, please check Tanana Silk for holiday gifts!

Links:

• Program sales site
• CPALI program site