Day Camp

     A workshop was held at our suboffice where different trades were taught: Botiking (tye-dye), sewing, crocheting, and soap making. The goal of this workshop was for women who have either dropped out of school or are unable to get funds for school to learn one of these trades to help support themselves.  There was a total of 8 different girls brought (one of them a 14 year old single mother).

     I brought 1 JHS (middle school) child to the workshop. Her name is Aisha and she is the senior prefect of her school. She told me that her mother had taken her firewood that she had been collecting and sold it and used the money herself.

      The day was a busy day and it began early with soap making and botiking. The girls were split up into 2 different groups and half went to do soap making and the other half botiking.

Here are what the girls learned:

Soap making:

Step 1- Mix caustic soda with water (1:4 ratio) the night before

Step 2- Heat palm oil until the palm oil appears white

Step 3- Heat Shea butter until completely melted

Step 4- Let the palm oil and shea butter cool and then mix the two together in a 1:1 ratio

Step 5- Add in Moringa leaves

Step 6- Let the soap sit for 1 week and then use

Botik

Step 1- Heat Wax

Step 2- Take wooden stamp and dip into melted wax

Step 3- Place stamp on cloth and press wax firmly onto cloth

Step 4- Repeat step 3 until desired pattern is achieved

Step 5- Prepare dye mixture: Take 2 spoons full of caustic soda and pour into water (amount depending on deepness of dye color), take hydro (2 spoons full) and add it in, and lastly add in dye.

Step 6- Put cloth into dye and mix thoroughly

Step 7- Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour

Step 8- Dry and it’s ready for use!