Project Piña - Empower Women in Tanzania

Matipwili, Tanzania, United Republic ofEnactus George Brown

$665

Raised of $20,000 CAD

Fundraising ended on Dec 21, 2017
14 supporters
3%%

About This Project

Our Goal

To empower a small village in Tanzania by teaching a group of women the skills to transform pineapple waste– into their own textile business.

#WearChange


Currently in Tanzania over 215,000 tonnes of pineapples are exported each year, creating over 308,000 tonnes plant waste. This waste is often burned, releasing over 463,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year in Tanzania.

Within a typical village in Tanzania, the average family makes approximately $2-3 CDN each day. While on average it costs $358 CDN to send a child to school per year. Many people living in Tanzania's rural areas have difficulty providing for their family.

Project Piña is the brain-child of a group of Enactus George Brown students from Toronto, Canada looking to make a difference.

So how do we help reduce this waste while energizing the economy in Matipwili?

Our team was contacted by an individual looking to help bring new economic opportunities to the small village of Matipwili, Tanzania. From our research, we found an idea that would reduce waste, as well as teach new and transferable skills to a local community of women. This is done by creating a fabric called Piña.

Piña fabric is made from 100% pineapple leaves. After the fruit is harvested the leaves are considered waste, which are burned– releasing carbon dioxide emissions and plant waste.

Instead of burning the pineapple leaves, we will collect LOTS of pineapple leaves. Once collected, we will then break it down to remove strands within the leaf, and weave them together to create a beautiful fabric!

This project creates opportunities for women to use their creativity, and make organic designs with their textiles. In the process of learning, we will also teach them how to basic accounting, marketing and sales.

Example: Carrie Underwood wearing a Piña Dress made by Oliver Tolentino

How will Project Piña work?

Project Piña is a two stage program that the participants will be a part of:

Stage 1: Weave, weave, weave!

  • Build a loom out of easily accessible resources
  • Learn to extract the fibres from the pineapple leaves
  • Learn the weaving process (this knowledge can be transferred to various fibres)
  • Create Piña Fabric!

Stage 2: Make some money

  • Learn practical business skills such as: Marketing, Sales, Budgetting
  • Design packaging & Branding of business
  • Create partnerships with local businesses, designers and distributors

Enactus George Brown has successfully established a program called Girls Going Forward (GGF) in St. Lucia that aims to help women gain financial independence, through entrepreneurship. Millicent Geonzon (top left) extracting pineapple leaves' fibres. Lauren Gazen (top right) teaching one of GGF in St. Lucia's participants how to make body scrubs. Sam Lee and Adonia Vlasis (left corner) with some of GGF in St. Lucia's participants, and several of Enactus George Brown's team members (right corner) with all of Girls Going Forward - St. Lucia's participants!

WITH YOUR DONATIONS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AND GUIDE WOMEN IN MATIPWILI, TANZANIA WITH FINANCIAL RESOURCES, AND TOOLS THEY NEED FOR QUALITY EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND INDEPENDENCE THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

Why Donate To Project Piña?

Our mission is to impart new and transferable skills to Tanzanian women who are eager to learn. Preserve our environment’s natural resources by reducing waste from the production of plant waste and carbon dioxide emissions. Ultimately, empower Tanzanian women to be seen as equal partners in decision-making, and ensure they have the right to support themselves, their families, and their community’s quality of living.

**UPDATE:** Project Piña has created its first partnership with a prominent designer in Dar es Saleem, Tanzania who will be purchasing the women's product to incorporate into her designs!

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and Former Filipino President Benigno "Nonoy" Aquino, right, wearing the Barong Tagalog, a national Filipino shirt made from Piña cloth.

Current Demand for Piña

  • Currently in Tanzania, clothing manufacturers and fashion designers are in desperate need of domestically-made fabrics. Often fabrics are imported at a high cost as very few villages weave fabrics.
  • Piña is an organic fabric, which holds cultural significance to many individuals from Asian-Pacific regions. In recent years, many families from within these regions have began immigrating to Tanzania. Thus, has created a need for organic fabrics.
  • Within Matipwili and surrounding villages, there are no villagers that weave their own fabrics meaning that this would be a new skill taught to community.
  • Piña is also an amazing way to repurpose eco-waste, create jobs, teach skills and empower a community.

REWARDS:

One of our partners, a prominent designer in Dar es Saleem, Tanzania creates sustainable and hand made accents throughout Africa, and uses cow horn/bone as buttons as well as upcycled materials or batik dyeing in the design.

These are just some of the handmade with hand dyed fabric, and cow horn accented scarves (left and right) and hat (centre) that our partner has created for tourists. There's also the option for different colour customization, and added options (business name tag, your name stitched, etc).

Our Team

We are Enactus George Brown, an organization of volunteering students who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of our communities. With the help of our faculty and business leaders, we look to find ways to help encourage, inspire and empower those around us.

We believe in developing sustainable relationships who share the same vision of empowering our nearby communities.

Annually, our team participates in two competitions where we are able to showcase our projects to professionals from all around Canada. This year, we presented a proposal for Project Piña and won 3rd place in the Regionals Scotiabank Eco Challenge! Our team also reached semi-finals in the Nationals Competition this year making us one of the top teams in Canada.

Last year our team:

Ran 7 projects & programs

With a 100+ student team

Empowering over 500 people

Completing 12,000+ volunteer hours

In 3 countries

With 15+ organizational partnerships

TALK TO US AND DONATE TODAY:

Website: Enactus George Brown

Twitter: @enactusgbc

Facebook: @enactusgeorgbrown

Facebook: @projpina

Instagram: @projpina

Twitter: @projpina


Use Of Funds

$20,000 Tipping Point Goal

Because of Tanzania's high demand for locally–made fabrics in Tanzania's tourism industry, we can assure you that they will be affordable, lightweight, fair trade and organic fabrics. Your donations will go a long way not only for tourists and consumers to enjoy... Ultimately, to provide women living in Tanzania's rural communities the right to support themselves, their families, and their community’s quality of living.

Your donations will provide resources of support, confidence and knowledge about their future. In addition, the power to create anything and everything they aspire to do for themselves, their families and their communities through this project's educational foundation.

Project Piña's funding goal of $20,000 will be used to cover the costs of:

  • Custom loom design and setup costs – engineering and design fees
  • Swahili Translator – So that we can clearly communicate more easily with the villagers of Matipwili
  • Participants' compensation for their time and hard work
  • Local farmers' compensation – we require A LOT of pineapple leaves, as well as create long lasting partnerships for Project Piña
  • Lease a safe space for the participants to learn about weaving and business concepts
  • Business startup costs
  • Team Expenses
  • Educational resources – notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers and calculators
  • Business mentors – Broaden Project Piña's business networks for the participants


$30,000 Stretch Goal

Additional Equipment

  • One loom for 10 women would not be enough for them to share, and some women require additional assistance. If we can reach our stretch goal, we will get 3 looms, stools for the women to sit on while weaving, and resources for their Piña Business.


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Rewards

Select Reward
Thank You Shout Out
$10.00

We will give you and/or your business a thank you shout out on our social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Unlimited

Select Reward
Team Picture - Photo Frame
$40.00

We will send you a picture of our team with a thank you message for your kindness, and support towards this project plus be featured on our social media platforms!

Unlimited

Select Reward
#HEARTWARMERS: Personalized Postcard
$50.00

We will send you a PERSONALIZED post, HANDMADE in the village with all the participants' handwritten thank you notes. Also a photo of the project as our gesture of gratitude for empowering the women you've helped with this project!

Unlimited

Select Reward
Piña T-Shirt
$60.00

Want the same Project Piña T-Shirt? We'll send you a LIMITED EDITION Piña T-Shirt made with your face, name and/or business front and centre! Just let us know :)

Unlimited

Select Reward
Hat
$75.00

An amazing designer from Mtoko Designs in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania has offered to do a CUSTOM DESIGNED hats for donors of this project. You can have your name or your business on it! These hats are SUPER STYLISH, and would be amazing to wear for safari trips!

Unlimited

Select Reward
Scarf
$80.00

Mtoko Designs in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania has also offered to make BEAUTIFUL CUSTOM designed scarves for those who donate to the Piña cause! Your business logo and/or your name will be placed on the tag!

Unlimited

Select Reward
Hat & Scarf
$135.00

Want both the SUPER STYLISH hat and CUSTOM designed scarf? No problem!

Unlimited

Select Reward
#WEARCHANGERS: Piña T-Shirt And Everything Above!
$200.00

Want the same Project Piña T-Shirt shown on the video, and everything else above?! We'll send you a LIMITED EDITION organic cotton Piña T-Shirt (made with your business front and centre, face, name, etc. just let us know!), a Thank You Shout Out on our social media platforms, Team Picture and Personalized Postcard!

Unlimited

Select Reward
Hand-made Jewellery + Hat & Scarf
$400.00

Ever wanted a piece of HANDMADE JEWELLERY from Tanzania? Well, this is your chance! Donate $500 and we will pick something beautiful for you!

30 left

Select Reward
#FASHIONLOVERS: Hat and Scarf Combo Plus Everything Above
$500.00

An amazing designer from Mtoko Designs in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania has offered to do CUSTOM DESIGNED hats and scarves for donors of this cause. You can have your name or business stitched with the hat and/or scarf, as well as the Piña T-Shirt, Thank You Shout Out and Team Picture included!

Unlimited

Select Reward
#THESTYLISH: Hat and Scarf Combo With HANDMADE JEWELRY And Everything Above!
$1,000.00

Want not only the custom designed hats, and scarves from Mtoko Design's designer but also a piece of HANDMADE JEWELRY from Tanzania? Treat yourself, or someone you love! We'll pick out something beautiful for you! This reward also includes: Piña T-Shirt, Thank You Shout Out and Team Picture!

Unlimited

Select Reward
#THEARTIST: Fine Art And Everything Above!
$2,000.00

Tanzania has a long tradition of thought provoking fine art sculpture! We'll send you a ONE OF A KIND Makonde Carvings sculpture made from African Blackwood Tree and all the rewards above!

Unlimited

Select Reward
Thank You Video + Plaque + Plant Tanzania's National Tree
$4,000.00

Want to have YOUR NAME AND/OR BUSINESS shown in Matipwili, preserve our environment and see what we have done? If you and/or your team donates $4000, we will put up a plaque of your name/business within the village, plant Tanzania's National tree– African Blackwood tree, AND a thank you video from our participants with a sample fabric sent to you!

5 left

Select Reward
#NATUREGO-GETTER: Plant Tanzania's National Tree With Video, Plaque and Piña Fabric
$5,000.00

Make an impact in Tanzania with not only your name and/or business show in Matipwili, Tanzania but also for our environment! We will plant one of Tanzania's National Tree: African Blackwood Tree with our participants, a thank you video and send you a sample Piña fabric!

Unlimited