Materials and new designs in sustainable community development : a case study of Phumani Paper's Eshowe and Endlovini projects

M.Tech. (Fine Art)As a Fine Art graduate student, I worked at Phumani Paper Project's research unit based at the Technikon Witwatersrand from 2001 to 2004. The experience allowed me to render my services as a trainer for craft product design to help develop and sustain the poverty alleviation programme for Phumani Paper's papermaking projects around the country. Participants of the project benefit from the program in terms of training in the making of craft items, personal capacity building, and income generating opportunities. South Africa's history is fundamental to understanding the present social imbalance which the government, non-governmental organisations and private organisations are trying to address in various ways. My research work at the KwaZulu-Natal Papermaking and Packaging Project (KZN-PCPP) in Eshowe culminated in the writing of this dissertation. My research explored issues related to materials and design for the sustainability of the KZNPCPP. In regard to poverty alleviation I used Participatory Action Research (PAR), which was core to the activities and works presented in this dissertation. New designs for the packaging of craft products introduced during my intervention period helped improve the marketability of the products produced at KZNPCPP, and helped the participants to learn new skills. I focused on the introduction of sugar cane paper pulp in the making of ceramic wares. This added value to the potters' experience and to a certain extent helped reduce losses due to breakage during transportation