T-RES FERRINO

MEMBERSHIP

In a world that is increasingly subjected to the imperatives of globalization, defending local economies means promoting sustainable production models and guaranteeing a source of sustenance to various populations. It also means contributing to the maintenance of a rich cultural heritage that is put at risk by a market that tends to standardize everything, wiping out cultural distinctions.

An important challenge: Ferrino has decided to accept the challenge of sustaining local development together with the Sao Onlus association. The "Women's Crafts Project" was born of this collaboration: a project that places women of the Foulbe ethnic group of Maroua (Cameroon) in the spotlight.
The Foulbe live in western Africa - from Mauritania to Cameroon - and make their living as herdsmen, merchants, and craftsmen. These activities represent fundamental resources for the family economy, and within this context, female elements play a central role.

The "Women's Crafts Project" naturally aims at reinforcing their role in society with the objective of promoting and developing longstanding traditions as represented by Foulbe crafts. The first tangible step was the realization of a special T.RES bag, the fruit of the work of the forty women involved in this project. They themselves chose the local fabrics and produced these bags with sewing machines supplied by the organization. Samples will be available for sale by Ferrino beginning next winter.
The Project - coordinated locally by Angelina Elkani - is part of a much more complex initiative: the realization of crafts centers equipped with services and structures to promote the independent management of the production and marketing of products. To this view, in addition to the Maroua district, Sao Onlus is also operative in Doula - in southern Cameroon - where wood and earthenware crafts are produced, and in Niamey (Niger), where soapstone and leather products are crafted.