Women in Ghana are turning invasive water hyacinths into stunning sustainable clothing and household products. By removing the problematic plants, they're helping to revitalize the ecosystem and empowering communities along the Volta river.
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00:00This is the water hyacinth stem, which we get from the Volta River around Pong.
00:31Global Mammoth is situated close to Pong and the idea was to make good use of this weed
00:38and also make a source of livelihood for people living along the Volta Lake in Pong and Akwesasne.
00:45So, we trained women especially to go harvesting the water hyacinth plant from the Volta River.
00:53So, after harvesting, they chop off the leaves and the roots, which we encourage them to use as compost on their farms
01:01and also as fodder for the animals that they rear at home.
01:05So, after harvesting and chopping off the leaves and the roots, we dry the stems and this is the result of the drying.
01:12The drying of the stems takes about three weeks if the weather is very good and it's sunny.
01:18And we receive this here at Global Mammoth, which we turn into wonderful products.
01:23Some of the products we can make from them are the water hyacinth trevets, water hyacinth table mats, water hyacinth coasters.
01:30We also have some baskets that we are trying to develop from the water hyacinth plants.
01:35When we receive the dried stems, we flatten them with our flattening machine in order to take out the air that's in the stem.
01:48So, after flattening the stems, we lay them straight on the foam in order to make a mat.
01:55And that is the process that Mama Abigail here is demonstrating.
02:00So, as she lays them on the mat, she fastens them with a pin, as you can see that she's doing.
02:07So, we lay in the water hyacinth stems. You put the first one down flat like that and you make sure that you lift the other one.
02:30So, it's a vertical and horizontal process. So, one up, one down, and you continue the process as such.
02:40Then, after getting the size that you desire, you cut off the excess part.
02:46So, in order to be able to take off the mats from the foam, you need to fasten it with a fabric.
03:00So, the fastening process is just like the weaving process. You go up, down, up, down.
03:08This fabric is from our textiles department after making dresses, the scraps that come out of it.
03:16This is the end result of the foam after you fasten the ends of the weave.
03:20So, after this one, you have to pass it under a sewing machine and give it a finishing and using a cloth.
03:33So, this is the first weave that you get. Then, if you want to beautify it more, you use a cloth for the ends.
03:40You get a coaster, which you can use to cover your drinks, your tea, and use it at your dining table.
03:51By continuous harvesting, we have realized that the quantum of water hyacinths in these areas have reduced drastically.
04:00Our harvesters gave us reports that even this year, you cannot find a lot of water hyacinths.
04:07They will have to go deep into the river before they can harvest these water hyacinths.
04:12So, we realized that the continuous harvest of the water hyacinths is reducing the quantities of the water hyacinths in the Volta River.
04:20It is helping the fish farms because the fishes are no longer being choked by the water hyacinths.
04:26It is not affecting the health of the fishes as well.