These entrepreneurs make crayons using fruits, vegetables
December 18, 2016 | 8:42pm
These non-toxic crayons made by PWDs from New Lucena are being marketed in Japan. JICA/Released
MANILA, Philippines — A group of persons with disabilities (PWD) in New Lucena, Iloilo are marketing in Japan crayons they created using fruits and vegetables as ingredients.
Members of PWD Association of New Lucena, Iloilo (PWD ANLI) create the pigments of the non-toxic food-based crayons by melting vegetables and other natural ingredients in a boiler.
Each crayon box has 10 colors using pigments from papaya, santan flower, dragon fruit, tamarind, bitter gourd, mango, carrot, purple yam and bamboo, among others.
The group learned the craft from a Japanese volunteer who is part of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Program (JOCV) of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The PWD ANLI has set up a mini-production line at a small apartment a few kilometers away from the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office (MSWDO).
In a press release on Friday, JICA said the crayons can even be created at home using available natural materials.
Grace Servas, president of PWD ANLI, said she is grateful for the new skill.
“Some of us cannot leave the house because of disabilities and crayon making is something that they can do in their home,” said Servas.
For the PWDs in New Lucena, finding a livelihood like crayon making that finally creates equal opportunities for all them is indeed a wish come true, the JICA press release read.
Celna Ramos, social welfare assistant of MSWDO, said that their office hopes that the assistance offered by JOCV could lead to sustainable employment to PWDs.
There are 725 residents with disabilities in the town of New Lucena.
The PWD group already received an order of 550 boxes of crayons in Japan. Each box also comes with a message note from New Lucena’s PWDs.
There are also plans to sell the crayons to schools in New Lucena and in the province’s capital.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
Philstar
