At the Gone Rural workshop in Malkerns the bundles of grass are transformed into beautiful colours in fuel-efficient dye vats designed by the alternative technologist, Crispin Pemberton Pigott (www.newdawn-engineering.com). Once dyed the grass is laid out to dry in rows under the African sun.

Through rain or shine we make the journey up the mountain roads or down though the African Bush of Swaziland to our community meeting places. Here the women are grouped together waiting for us with their beautiful products.

At our market days all the women meet under a tree or in a shady place. Here they finish their work while chatting amongst themselves sharing ideas and experiences

Women entrepreneurs within the Gone Rural group and community have created a micro economy at these meeting days through selling vegetables or bread they have baked, while other women sell clothes.

The meeting days have also created an access point for health and education programmes to be run within the communities such as literacy programmes, scholarships funds, advocacy training, HIV/AIDS testing awareness and counselling (link to projects in the non-profit section)

The Gone Rural Production team buy the goods that they ordered from the women at the previous meeting. Quality is checked and each woman is given tips on how to further develop her skill.

Orders are placed with the women and they are given the dyed grass that they need to make the products.

The women take their work home with them where they have the freedom to work when they choose between their other household and parenting duties. The women sometimes work in groups weaving and coaxing the grasses into magical patterns.

At the Gone Rural workshop the stock is received into the store room where the quality is checked before the products are individually labelled and packed into sets using hand-made clay beads and woven grass rope.