São Paulo – The purses, necklaces, carpets and buttons manufactured by the Sinhá Recicla project, in the city of Uberlândia, in the western portion of the state of Minas Gerais, have already been shipped to the United States, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Germany. Now, the group plans to reach the Middle Eastern and North African countries.
"Exporting to the Arab world would be very interesting. An excellent opportunity to learn, because whenever we have clients from different cultures, we need to understand and learn about their preferences in terms of shapes and colours, for instance," says artisan Sônia Vasconcelos, the mastermind behind the project. "We concern ourselves with producing items that will please the tastes of clients, without losing the tinge of Brazility that provides our products with an identity," she claims.
Since 2008, Sônia has been teaching other women to handicraft items using clothing industry residue and recycled material. She quit her job as a bank teller to dedicate herself fully to the Sinhá Recicla project. The initiative is supported by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) in the state of Minas Gerais. The organization estimates that the project will guarantee jobs and income to 200 artisans who have already been trained by the group.
Every Wednesday, Sônia and 16 artisans meet to teach approximately 60 types of artisanal techniques, including crochet, embroidery, knitting, basket making and weaving. The lessons are free and the raw material is donated by six textile mills in the city. The material, which used to be disposed of, is transformed into handicraft. "It is a wonderful sensation to know that we are reusing materials that would otherwise be thrown away, and making it possible for so many mothers to maintain their families," she celebrates.
According to the artisan, almost all of the material is recycled, and the spending on thread and needles is split. The group produces 1,500 items per month, costing from 5 to 130 Brazilian reals (US$ 2.8 to US$ 73.9). "Each artisan in the project manages to earn 700 reals (US$ 398) on average, plus their own independent sales. Our next step will be to turn the association into a cooperative, increase the number of affiliates, and conquer more and more clients worldwide," she claims.
The group usually sells its items at the Federal University of Uberlândia, at handicraft fairs in the region, and also in other states. "This year, we went to a trade fair in Santa Maria, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and we also exhibited at the World Social Forum, in the city of Porto Alegre," she says.
"Virtually all of our artisans attend training courses, so we may constantly improve our quality and ensure that our production will increase, so as to meet the domestic and foreign demands," she says. "I believe we are on the right track. The importers are usually very demanding, and this encourages our constant quest for innovation and creativity," she finishes off.
Contact
Sinhá recicla
Site: www.soniavasconcelosarts.blogspot.com
E-mail: soniadefatima@hotmail.com
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
