Paper Making

As a practicing artist and as a keen supporter of the work of  the Metropolitian Sanctuary for sick children, I was interested in utilizing what was on site to generate a creative environment and to further the work of the Sanctuary.

In 2010, with the help of Jolene Allen the Director of the ACE Assisted Cardboard Equipment workshop and manager of the Sanctuaryartists papermaking workshop, and a weeks residency for Sanctuaryartist Cecelia Stephens (who has a life time of papermaking experience) , I started up a paper making workshop employing five local mothers of severely disabled children.  The focus was to change lives one by one.  For the five mothers this has been manifested in everyway: financially, socially, psychologically, educationally, having a safe and comfortable working environment, giving childcare, meals, medication and physiotherapy to their children, their lives have been transformed and with the money that they make they are also able to help their extended families.

As Sanctuaryartists develops and grows it is hoped that this will be the case for many more mother and fathers, as well as disabled adults who are denied work in their society.

Funds were raised by Sanctuaryartists and in March 2011 the first Hollander beater was installed.  This had enabled a  a superior quality of paper and greater production.

All the paper is made from dead vegetation, either from the crops found on site, to flowers that they grow to harvest.  In Kenya nothing goes   to waste, Sanctuaryartists uses only materials that even the cow wouldn’t eat!  Paper making is totally at the bottom of the food chain. 

Within the sanctuary site we have set up a recycling bin for old cotton rags that can then be pulped.  Cardboard is another resource that Sanctuaryartists have to hand on site, as running along side is the ACE assisted cardboard equipment workshop  where a team of women make chairs and standing frames that provide postural support for physically disabled children. This is amazing work - in Africa, most children with disability and poor posture, due weak muscle control, are left to lie on the ground or are carried on their mothers back. This has detrimental effects on the childs development and leads to deformities and contractures. Inevitably, this leads to a diminished quality of life and greater degree of disability. These chairs and frames enable the children to maintain good posture, minimise development of contractures and deformity, and facilitate function and essentailly, enhance their quality of life and integration into community life.  All the off cuts from cardboard workshop are recycled into the paper. 

Further workshops have been scheduled.  In February 2011 the women will be trained how to take the paper making into three dimensional objects and in July 2011 the women will work along side a group of international artists for two weeks to help to construct another collaborative art work to be shown at the same exhibition at the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi in August – September 2011. 

It is early days but it is hoped that in the future with the support of donations and sponsorships more men and women can be trained and employed by Sanctuaryartists  and further workshop in different materials will sit along site the cardboard and paper making workshops – changing lives and making a difference.