Plastic Bags

Although this project is not under my specific management as I am leaving the country in less than 24 hours, I thought I should at least share with you what has begun to develop over the past few weeks.

Lucy, an American student studying at the University of Jordan for one year and now volunteering with CRP this summer has taken on CRP's second, Women's Craft Cooperative. Although had been another similar group several years back, that one focused on making and selling numerous products whereas this group will focus on a single product, purses made out of plastic bags. When Sasha came across a purse in the U.S. that was crocheted out of plastic bags, she first decided to try making one on her own but then thought it would be a great idea to see if some of the Iraqi women living in Jordan could make, market, and sell these bags in the U.S. as a means of earning income.

Last Monday, Lucy and Sasha supervised the first Women's Craft Cooperative crochet meeting. One of the women who attended the English Language Social several weeks ago saw Sasha's crocheted bag on a shelve and asked how it was made. After Sasha showed her the basic stitches and such, she came back the next week with one she had made all by herself. Because she seems to be such a quick learner, she was asked and agreed to teach the group that will meet every week from here on forward.

Although I do not know all the details of the first meeting, it seems as though the group decided on the specific measurements and possible prices of the bags in order for them to be most marketable to consumers in the U.S. They are hoping to send several samples off to a fair trade store in the U.S., and if the store accepts, the women would begin filling orders at the store and its customers' requests. This is a good project not only because it has the ability to give the women and their families some extra cash, but because it is teaching them about what is necessary regarding communication, pricing, banking, measurements, and standards in order to sell their product over seas. Although we often hear the word, "literacy" or lack thereof when talking about the developing world, financial literacy is a skill that many in the developed world still lack, and something that as the Womens Craft Cooperative continues to develop, may become necessary in order for the Iraqi women to understand and facilitate business on a larger scale.