Friday, 11th April 2008

The Asaase Aban Beads Project is an innovative intervention designed by some women from Moshie Zongo, one of the peri-urban communities in Kumasi. Their Association is known as the  Asaase Aban Women’s Association, which was established by Amina Iddrisu in 1983, about the same time that The Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) was founded.  ‘Asaase’ in ‘Akan’ means ‘earth’ and ‘Aban’ means ‘govern’ or ‘take care of.’  Asaase Aban literary translate as “to take care of the earth”.

 These women discovered that making beads from scrap plastic was economically viable due to the abundance of raw materials and capable of providing reliable income due to the aesthetic desirability of their products. These women therefore collect plastic waste products such as cassette cases, pen cartridges, cosmetic cream containers, and other plastic waste from refuse dumps and melt them into decorative objects for household use. Some of these decorative objects include napkin holders, prayer rosaries, slippers, and hair bands.