CAPE TOWN - LoveMats community project employs retired and elderly women to create hand-made crafts with a recent initiative to repurpose plastic bags.
LoveMats is an organisation that aims to repurpose and up-cycle plastic bags in beautifully woven crafts with the initiative employing retired and elderly women as a way to gain some income and use their platform to sell their amazing woven items ranging from handbags to yoga mats and more.
The organisation took to Facebook to share the current items on sale also announcing that the project had stopped over 20 000 plastic bags from entering the waste stream while employing and empowering 5 women in the process helping them support their families during these trying times.
The upcycling of plastic bags reduces water usage, chemicals and electricity required to recycle such materials helping create durable and useful products but most importantly impacting the lives of elderly women in need of an income to make it through the Covid-19 pandemic with organisation pointing out how another benefit to weaving is also keeping the hands moving which helps manage arthritis.
All proceeds will be going to the elderly and their families. with LoveMats looking to expand and asking for those with handweaving skills and looking for employment to contact them on [email protected].
For more information or to support the initiative, visit: LoveMats Facebook Page.
For LIVE updates on the Coronavirus pandemic, follow us on Twitter: @sacoronamonitor