Kama turns traditional craft into good fortune

At 63, Asinate Kama is still packing her handicraft skills and taking them from island to island, determined to ensure women in rural and maritime communities are not left behind.

The journey comes at a cost. Travelling to a village can set her back between $300 and $400, but for Ms Kama, seeing another woman turn a newly learned skill into an income makes the sacrifice worthwhile.

Her passion for handicraft began at home, learning from her mother as a young girl. Decades later, that family-taught skill has become a way for her to empower other women.

INHERITED SKILL

Ms Kama said her mother introduced her to handicraft making when she was young.

“It is something I have grown fond of from a very young age,” she said.

What began as a childhood passion has grown into a mission to share her knowledge with women in communities.

TEACHING WOMEN

Reaching those women, however, is not always easy.

The cost of travelling to rural and maritime communities remains one of Ms Kama’s biggest challenges.

Despite the financial burden, she continues to make the journeys because she believes women living far from urban centres deserve the same access to training and opportunities.

“I travel from island to island and the exercise is expensive,” Ms Kama said.

But she remains determined to reach those who might otherwise miss out.

“Some women are always left out and this why, regardless of my personal financial challenge, I still want to help make a change in their lives and community.”

TURNING SKILLS INTO BUSINESS

Ms Kama does not want women to see their talents as simply hobbies. She wants them to recognise that those skills can also put money in their pockets and support their families.

She has taken part in programmes that helped women understand business development, branding and marketing.

“We teach women how to do their projects and their branding.”

Some of the women she has helped are now sharing and selling their products at local markets and online.

For Ms Kama, those success stories are what keep her going.

“To see these women turn what they have learnt in my workshops into a career is one of the most rewarding things to see.”

BUILDING HER BUSINESS

Ms Kama is also working on her own journey.

While handicraft is not her main source of income, she is expanding her screen-printing business with hopes of creating a more sustainable income.

“I’ve have everything here with me, and I have to buy the a few more things so that I can get started,” she said.

A WOMAN WITH A VISION

Her vision is to create more opportunities for women to learn practical skills, develop their products and potentially build businesses of their own.

Much of that work, however, she carries out herself.

“I’m doing it alone and sometimes it’s hard doing everything alone,” she said.

Still, Ms Kama continues.

ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN

Her message to women trying to build something of their own is just as straightforward.

“Just don’t give up and keep on going,” she said.

For Ms Kama, every workshop is about more than handicraft. It is about passing down knowledge, opening doors and giving other women a chance to turn the skills in their hands into opportunities for a better future.