A new training for village-based artisans

With support from a new grant, the first in a series of trainings for village-based women launched last week at our sister team’s workshop in northeastern Madagascar.

“There is no difference between these women’s skills and our lead artisans’ skills. All they need is practice and learning.”

- Mamy Ratsimbazafy, Director of SEPALI Madagascar

After celebrating International Women’s Day with dancing and singing in the town of Maroantsetra, 14 women from 5 villages came together for a week-long training to learn new skills from our artisan team. Through this effort, our organizations hope to create opportunities for more village-based women to benefit financially from the wild silk and raffia production chain.

A group of women learn card weaving technique from skilled artisans at the SEPALI Madagascar workshop in Maroantsetra in March 2025. Card woven raffia is used in textiles such as Madagascar Dreaming tapestries and napkin rings that are available from our collaborative nature-based social enterprise, Tanana Madagascar. Through this enterprise, local women and men have opportunities to earn a fair wage and farmers have financial incentives to restore native species to rainforest-bordering agroforestry systems. (Photo credit: SEPALIM)

During this week-long training, participants observed weaving techniques, the silk and raffia dyeing process, and became more familiar with finished products sold under Tanana Madagascar to bring in revenue that helps sustain Madagascar-based programs. Trainees also had opportunities to ask questions of the veteran artisan team. 

“This work is new for them. They need time to get familiar with cocoons, to distinguish the different species, and not mix them up. Card weaving is also completely new. It can take up to 6 months to learn it well,” says lead artisan Lalaina Raharindimby. "Even the word 'weaving' ('manenona') is unfamiliar to many participants in the training."

“Weaving has become a thing of stories. Only old people remember their grandparents weaving and wearing clothing made of raffia.”

- Lalaina Raharindimby, Lead Artisan of SEPALI Madagascar

Through our nature-based textiles program, artisans are helping keep traditional arts alive by applying them in modern designs.

The next step for the women's training program will be a series of village-based workshops in skills like raffia preparation and cocoon washing that will take place between now and June. By completing certain tasks at the village level that do not require electricity or large looms, Maroantsetra-based artisans will be able to focus on wild silk collage with sewing machines and weaving large format raffia textiles.

Trainees sit down together for a meal of rice, fish, and ro mazava (greens boiled in salted water). (Photo credit: SEPALIM)

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