Project U ke
In 2015 we started our first employment project named Project U ke.
We started out with 6 Maroon women from the village Drepada, located in District Brokopondo. The Maroons of Suriname are descendants of Africans who were brought here through the slave trade. They liberated themselves from slavery and settled in the jungle. They built a new life along the rivers and maintained their African culture, lifestyle and use the Saramaccan language, which originated from African and mainly Portugese background. They are the Saramaccan people, named after the route they followed when escaping slavery from plantations.
*products handmade by the women of project U ke
The women of project U ke are very textile oriented. That is why we developed an easy tote bag with colorful fabrics that lies close to their creativity and sewing skills. The moment that the tote bag was successful, we began to design more items such as headwraps, wallets and other different bags.
Today we see that the women are taking big steps and learning so rapidly. They are now at a stage where they have finished the program, are ready to work independently and are more skilled at saving money for a better future. Some of the women are ready for the next step and are thinking of starting their own small businesses. Talking Prints supports these ambitions and wants to be a coach to help make their dreams come true.
