 |
Making soap from the oil
of of the babassu nut
Photo: Daniel Berinson/Oxfam |
"There’s no doubt that life is still a struggle for
Joanna and Osmar. But Joanna, a technician in the soap factory,
simply bubbles with confidence. This seems to be because of the
big change that has occurred in her life: the Co-operative that
ASSEMA supports.
The women collect and break babassu nuts and sell them through
the Co-operative for a much better price than they used to receive
on the open market. (Mind you "open market" is a bit
of a joke. When you’re hungry and you’ve travelled 30
miles with a sack of nuts over your shoulder and there’s
only one buyer, you’ve no choice but to accept what’s
offered!)
In the old days, ten sacks of nuts would buy one sack of rice,
but now it’s a straight swap -- one sack of nuts for a sack
of rice.
At the Ludovico Factory, where Joanna and others run a women’s
group, the oil from the nuts is turned into soap. Together the
women make decisions about marketing and distribution, and with
the help of ASSEMA they are developing further products."
The stars that support Oxfam
