Used Newspaper Transformed Into Handicrafts By Women in Rural Communities
Who says that newspapers are only for reading and then to the trash can? A group of women in Trinidad, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, disagreed and set out to prove it.

The women transform used newspaper into useful articles, like purses, kitchen placemats, fans and women's belts, for example.

The group is made up of 16 women, who with their hands full of energy to work, transform their ideas into reality and at the same time generate income.

The items produced are not limited to the aforementioned, the ladies use their creativity to produce all sorts of original items, depending on the needs of their customers.

The group is part of the project called "naturaleza y comunidad" (nature and community), with an objective to educate the community in the environment, creating a biological corridor between the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Nogal and the Estación Biológica La Selva, creating a small number of businesses for women in the area.

So far there are six companies in the project in the communities of Gaguacol, Gavilán, Guapinol and Coyol, all banana producing communities.

The women are being trained by Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) and the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA) and almost ready to start selling their finished products that, in addition to newspaper handicrafts, include banana jellies, toasted bananas, and dehydrated fruits.

Other items crafted by the various groups include blouses with ecological designs painted by hand, soups, and jams, transforming completely the life of these women in rural communities.

Backing the project are companies like Chiquita, the German agency GTZ, the Swiss group Migros, and Rain Forest Alliance.