Gender Equality Madagascar Project #31478

Transform Lives in Madagascar with Silk and Raffia

by Conservation through Poverty Alleviation, Int

Project Report | Sep 23, 2022
New products for holiday buyers!

By Mamy Ratsimbazafy | Director and Founder, SEPALIM

SEPALIM booth at International Folk Art Market

Santa Fe show 2022

Acknowledgement :

On behalf of the SEPALI Madagascar team, I would address a special thanks to the GlobalGiving team for raising funds to support the SEPALIM program during the last three months.

Due to your funding support, SEPALIM was able to participate in the Santa Fe show last July 2022. The show was very successful in terms of product marketing and has brought us new opportunities to develop a network of new interested buyers that placed some orders right after the end of the show.

In addition to the Santa Fe show participation, SEPALIM was able to continue purchasing all the raw materials such as raw cocoons as well as raw raffia that the local villagers have sustainably harvested from their village farmland.

Sincerely

Ratsimbazafy Mamy

During the last three months, SEPALIM Team has increased the list of dye plant species. As mentioned in the previous report, SEPALIM has started an experiment about plant dyeing process. The team got a positive result on the dyeing with Ampalibe, that is commonly called « Jack fruit ». Since 2020, the beginning of the plant dyeing experiment, SEPALIM has identified more than 20 species of plant dye species.

The seeds of the mature fruit from the jack fruit are collected and then dry in the sun for a few days. The seeds are stocked during the year as powder and kept in the plastic containers.The jack fruit powder out of the seeds needs to be soaked overnight in warm water before using for dyeing the silk. The jack fruit produces a nice yellow color that the team uses as a background side of our wall-hanging products.The dyeing process does not require any additional chemical fixer. The color of the silk textile dyed with jack fruit does not washed out after washing with soap.

The latest design created by the SEPALIM team during May, June and July are mostly the Christmas tree ornaments. SEPALIM inspires from the realistic moths species such as Argema, suraka, Ceranchia and produce a copy that are made up plant dyed silk. Christmas tree ornaments : 3D lemurs. The Christmas ornament conceptions are based on the cutting, gluing, and pasting. One worker can make one to two ornaments per day.

Jackfruit seeds and dye

Christmas ornaments in production

Holiday moths

Color chart of the silk textile

Links:

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Jun 6, 2022
Developing culture inspired process and products

By Andry Ralijaona | Board Member

Feb 7, 2022
2022 is off to a good start! Annual report from Madagascar.

By Ratsimbazafy Mamy | Director of Sepali Madagascar

Group picture of Sepali team during the rain

GLOBAL GIVING REPORT JANUARY 2022 :

Arrival of the raw materials
Dyeing experiment with plant
New products 2022
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.

Weight & purchase of Filomena's Ceranchia cocoons

First Raffia deposit of 2022

Flooded road to Sepali office after hurricane

Shibori moons show five plant dye colors

Silk baskets decorated with raffia cardweaving

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