Working with women

Developing new production methods and products with women potters

Helping female potters to develop new products

Since May 2004, DW has been working alongside female potters in the two provinces of Soum and Oudalan, with the following aims:

• increasing their involvement in improving housing;
• developing production of ceramic building components (gutters, tripod ovens, etc.);
• improving the firing process i.e. reducing consumptoin of  wood and improving the quality of the fired products.

An initial activity with some thirty female potters in several villages developed and tested different kinds of gutters needed for woodless construction buildings (bearing in mind that traditional, tubular ceramic gutters are not recommended for woodless construction buildings, because they very easily get blocked, allowing water to collect on the roof and damage it).

By early 2005, two types of gutters were available on the open market, being sold by the women for 500 CFA francs each, i.e. ten times cheaper than the metal equivalent. These products are now recommended to woodless construction builders being trained in 2005.

In Djibo (Soum province), the production of tripod ovens using less wood for cooking has also started.