Butterfly Works

Butterfly Works is looking for creative volunteers to be part of an amazing longterm project benefiting women in the South Western Sahara of Morocco

Butterfly Works is looking for volunteers on an amazing project in the Sahara of Morocco who are skilled in:

* Weaving
* Knitting
* Crochet
* Felt making
* Embroidery
* Crafting
* Interior design

TARAGALTE CULTURAL CENTER AND ECO-LODGE
The delicate balance of the ecosystem of the South Western Sahara of Morocco is in danger and the oasis villages are becoming engulfed with sand. Action is needed in different ways and on different levels.

Butterfly Works was captivated by this beautiful region, got involved with an intriguing project and will be part of it for the coming years sharing our experience in the field.

Part of the project is to build a Cultural Center focusing on preserving both cultural traditions and the environment in combination with empowering the local community.

Next to the Cultural Center a Bivouac / Eco-Lodge will be built to not only turn local tourism into sustainable tourism but to also make visitors a part of activities organized in the Cultural Center and create a cultural experience.

See photos from the area here.

Liberate the maker
The overall aim of Butterfly Works is to create possibilities for people in need (in developing countries) to (re)claim power over their own lives and initiate and bring to fruit their personal potential.

Creativity and craftsmanship is key in this process. This is what we call ‘Liberate the maker’. We work with groups, individuals, artisans and producers all over the world in order for them to make the personal contribution which they, as unique individuals, have to offer the world. We blend a passion for global justice with a commitment to build profitable businesses and brands.


The Taragalte project
This project consists out of three parts:

1. Taragalte Cultural Center
2. Taragalte Bivouac / Eco-Lodge
3. Abaraz Taragalte (Taragalte Festival)


Project philosophy
-Preserving tradition and environment - academic research, sustainable development
-Share cultural heritage, exchange knowledge and create understanding - through tourism, co-creation and cultural expression
-Stimulating economic and social development - through education, product development and tourism.
-Non-political - no political agendas
-Stimulating emancipation - creating opportunities for men and women and respecting cultural foundations
-Empower the local community - grassroots approach: giving local people the tools and know-how to enable self-sustaining development


The area
The area where both the Cultural Center and the Eco-Lodge will be built is a beautiful spot close to the Algerian border in the south of Morocco. The piece of land is surrounded by 13 very small villages where people from 3 different tribes live.

Most of the women have not been able to attend school and they are limited in their freedom because they are bound to the house to take care of the household. The whole area is not very developed and right now the only form of income is tourism.

Most people come to this region to spend a few days in the desert either riding a camel or using 4x4.

Together with the wonderful Sbai brothers (a large extended family who used to be caravan leaders up till 1954) and our partners, we are trying to change things for the better, especially for the women in the area.

The Cultural Center and Eco-Lodge
The Cultural Center and Eco-Lodge will become a community center both open to the local villagers and tourists who will help maintain the knowledge of the ancestral cultural heritage of the Moroccan Sahara for the following generations to come.

The Cultural Center will also create an educational value as workshops will be given in matters concerning the cultural, ecological and social way of life in this environment. Those visiting the Cultural Centre will be able to participate in meetings, dialogues and music.

It will also be possible to attend workshops creating traditional and hand made products.


The assignment
Currently Butterfly Works is looking for volunteers in the following disciplines:

* Weaving
* Knitting
* Crochet
* Felt makers
* Embroidery
* Crafting
* Interior design


The role
All creative volunteers will play an important role in the design communication between the project team and the local villagers.

Since the women speak a specific form of Berber and most of them are not able to read or write, it’s not easy to make them understand what will happen in their surrounding and how they can play a vital role in the whole plan.

In the future the women will be trained to create products that will be used in the Cultural Center and in the Eco-Lodge.

The products will be based on traditional skills and materials that were used in the region. Due to poverty and neglect the women are losing their craft skills because they don’t have money to buy the raw materials that they need to work with.

Butterfly Works will design the objects and train the women and will also provide the raw materials and microcredit to buy the needed materials. Next to this Butterfly Works is responsible for the social embedding of the whole project.


The first items we need
* Rugs and cushions
* Bathroom kit
* Bed sheets / pillows
* Tableware
* Bed covers

Once we are able to create the smaller items we will work on much bigger objects such as architectural elements. For instance, we need to create several canopies made from palm leaves. But also we try to come up with different types of weavings from local materials.

Last but not least… we will be working with recycled materials that can be found in the area.


Methods
We will work with Dutch craftspeople to make samples and try-outs. Based on the try-outs we can create real products and create the educational steps that we need to train the woman.


What’s in it for you
* Work on a social design project in unique surroundings
* Your name will be mentioned in the project and on the website that we will create
* Your work will be profiled on the Butterfly Works website
* Your work will be presented at a big “Design and development” conference in October 2010
* Your work will be part of the guidelines that we are creating
* Your work will be part of a series that we are publishing as a follow up of the Butterfly Paper
* Possibly we will take you on a trip to Morocco in the fall (if we will continue to work together)
* You will be part of a co-creation team consisting out of Dutch, Moroccans, Egyptian, Arabic and Berber people… (an eclectic mix)
* We will introduce you to our partners

And... YES you will feel good because you know you are doing something good for the world!


About Butterfly Works
Butterfly Works is an inspiration-driven social solution and design studio.

The work at Butterfly Works can safely be called eclectic in its range from consumer social product design and distribution to the development of digital and mobile educational materials and learning environments.

Yet there is a common thread in all these works, in their innovative nature, their adherence to quality, their respect for everyone in the chain of events involved and possibly most importantly the centrality of the end user in the design process.

Butterfly Works invents, designs, and implements social events and so doing connects people, businesses and organizations always building a positive chain of events. Butterfly Works initiates projects and provides sustainable answers to international social issues.


Some Butterfly Works projects you might know:
Return to Sender with Katja Schuurman
Miffy’s play and learn with Dick Bruna
Picnic – surprising Africa
The World Starts With Me – just elected by Unesco as best practice
(For more projects please visit www.butterflyworks.org)


Partners in the Taragalte project
www.sahara-roots.org
www.taragalte.org
http://bureaueast.com


Why are we looking for volunteers?
For the last 10 years Butterfly Works has been able to create wonderful projects in amazing places. We would not have been able to do so without a lot of help from friends, volunteers and our dedicated staff.

Officially we are a development aid organization and we are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 60%. The other 40% we try to create by commercial work. But since we are always aiming for the best, the money is never enough… that’s a fact.

With the help of volunteers we can make our projects even more powerful and meaningful. Our volunteers range from lawyers to accountants to designers to project assistants to collaborations with complete studios.

Some volunteers donate 40 hours, some stay for 6 months. Of course we are willing to clarify our situation even more if necessary.


Are you interested?
Inspire us now by sending your CV and clear examples of your work to our colleague Anouar El Haji:

info@butterflyworks.org