IMPACT ASSESSMENT
X
Artisans reported using their income for the following:
PRODUCTION
LETTIE STUART
POTTERY
- VASES
- CANDLE HOLDERS
- BOWLS
- CUPS
BRAMA TOWN
WEAVERS
- LAMPS
- BASKETS
LARGO CREATIONS
TEXTILE DYINGS
- Dying the cotton used in weaving the pillows and blankets
FODAY THORONKA
TAILOR
- DRESSES
- SHIRTS
- TROUSERS
- PILLOWS
Mariatu Koroma Textile Weaver &
Alusine Bangura Tailor
- PILLOWS
- POUCHES
LUMLEY BEACH
MARKET ARTISANS
- CORONETS
- SCRUNCHIES
- NECKLACES
- TROUSERS
- KEYRINGS
IBRAHIM KOLLON
TEXTILE WEAVER
- PILLOWS
- BLANKETS
- CLOTHING
PRODUCTION EACH YEAR
| 2024 | DESIGNER | NUMBER OF ARTISANS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyrings and bracelets | 16,000 | Lumley Beach Market Artisans | 18 |
| Pottery Products | 3,897 | Hugdetta, KER, Lettie Stuart Pottery Center | 8 |
| Bamboo Cane Weaving | 853 | Hugdetta, Farmer´s Market | 20 |
| Other | 357 | Aurora Foundation, ESTMOS | 3 |
| Children´s Accessories | 296 | As We Grow | 4 |
| Country Cloth Woven products | 273 | Green Giraffe, Hugdetta | 9 |
Quotes from Our Artisans
Adama Marah, Lumley Market
“My kids have always stayed with me when I’m working, so I made sure to teach them this work. Because I want the same thing that has made me, to also help them. If they know this work and they also go to school then I believe life will not be too difficult for them.”
Hassan Koroma, Brama Town
“I use the income to impart knowledge to my children, giving them lunch for school, and to pay for their extra lessons. ”
THE GROUPS
LETTIE STUART
POTTERY
Lettie Stuart Pottery is a unique place, not only in Sierra Leone but in all of West Africa, as it is one of very few places that is capable of producing high-fired pottery. It was founded by the Sierra Leone Adult Education Association (SLADEA) and named after Dr Lettie Stuart the founder of SLADEA. It was established to help adults and youth who hadn´t received formal education, to acquire the necessary skills to be employed as potters.
FODAY THORONKA
TAILOR
Foday Thoronka is a tailor in Freetown. Foday has acquired new skills from training received through Aurora Foundation. Working as a tailor producing Sweet Salone products has helped him to save enough income to build his own house from a single room to multiple rooms and he is now planning to build a dedicated tailoring shop.
LUMLEY BEACH
MARKET ARTISANS
Hidden behind the Tourist Board of Sierra Leone facility off Lumley Beach is a small market called Lumley Beach Market. Here you can find various goods and souvenirs made by both the sellers in the market and other artisans across the country and sent to Freetown.
BRAMA TOWN
WEAVERS
Brama town is located 30km south of Freetown, with just over 700 habitants. Basket weaving is one of the main economic activities in the area, alongside vegetable production. The group of weavers is headed by the Chief of Brama Town, Samuel Walker Mansaray, who taught most of the others the traditional art of basket weaving.
Mariatu Koroma Textile Weaver
& Alusine Bangura Tailor
Mariatu is a textile weaver and a mother of four children. She is based in Grafton, outside Freetown. There she has her weaving loom amidst her community of kontri kloth weavers. She is the main weaver for all the Green Giraffe products. Alusine is a tailor with grand ambitions and is currently also attending university. He has been the leading tailor for the Green Giraffe products, and that is how he has been able to finance his university education.
IBRAHIM KOLLON
Ibrahim Kallon, originally from Freetown, is a textile weaver. At the age of 12, Ibrahim’s grandfather insisted that young Ibrahim join him every day after school and assist him in the practice of weaving. While he did not see the benefits of learning this traditional skill at that age, he could not be more grateful today for his grandfather’s persistence. Unlike many of his peers, he has the means to earn an income. Today Ibrahim Kallon can be found weaving in a small building adjacent to the Lumley Arts and Crafts Market, but only on his days off from university.