The St Mark Craft Training and Livelihood Support Project embarked on 6 weeks of training courses, which started in May. It is anticipated to attract locals and tourists to the parish to view and purchase various products made locally from bamboo, whist (dried tough parasitic vine or pliant twig used in basket making) and pine (screw pine or Pandanus utilis).
This initiative has provided alternative livelihoods for unemployed men and women in St Marks by providing training for 15 community residents. These crafts will be on display at the St Mark Sunset Community Craft and Furniture Enterprise: which is already established to showcase the bamboo, whist and screw pine products for sale both locals and visitors. Visitors can expect to view a wide range of items including: windchimes, hats, baskets, caps, mats, utensils holders, stools just to name a few.
Project Lead, Emma Marisa has been very instrumental is making this project a reality and has expressed satisfaction as to the progress of the training and the commitment of the participants. The training is being facilitated by 2 local craftsmen, Reynold Fletcher and Andre Jones who both hail from St Andrew. Training is held 4 days a week from Monday to Thursday at the Victoria Climate Change center which is located on Diamond Street directly behind the police station, opposite the Victoria Nutmeg pool close to Shy’s Bar.
According to Parliamentary representative and Minister for Tourism and Civil aviation, Honorable Clarice Modeste Curwen, “The timing of this project couldn’t have been better, as we enter into the festive season of carnival where thousands of tourists will grace our shores, to participate in the different activities that Pure Grenada has to offer. But after all the fun, they will want to bring back a souvenir of a taste of us to their families, friends, coworkers etc.”
This activity is part of their Climate Change Education Awareness project and is currently implemented by the Environment Unit at the Ministry of Education Human Resource Development and the Environment on behalf of and with funding from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) under its international Climate Initiative (IKI), to assist Grenada to adapt climate change.
UNDP ICCAS offices, Ministry of Environment
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