Everywhere we went, we were presented flowers and refreshments. Here is Pruitt's first green coconut. He wasn't too sure about it and, in the end, decided that it wasn't the thing for him. Austin and I each drank 4 of them till the day was over!
One of our favorite stops was at Keya Palm, where they work strictly with palm leaves. Here one of the ladies is showing Austin how to weave the prepared strands into a star.
After the leaves are dried, they are torn into large strips. The women sit outdoors at these little tables and run the strips through a 3 part blade, making 3 equal strips. These are then washed and dried and some are boiled in huge vats of dye to make colored strips. The vats are heated by discarded strips of leaves. These women have mastered the art of dyeing. I didn't see any measuring instruments or "recipes", yet there seemed to be consistency in the coloring. As I walked around, there were many more women cutting and lots of strips drying in the sun.
The manager of the project told us more about it's history and how it has made such a difference in the lives of the women. They can eat 3 meals a day now and send their children to school, among other things.
Here are some of the nearly-finished products, drying in the sun, along with tiffin boxes the women brought their lunches in. The whole place was so peaceful. There was a large garden in the front, with ripening eggplants, young tomato and pepper plants. Beautiful flowers were planted here and there. There were several buildings and sheds, but most of the women preferred to work outside. There was a pond on one side where they washed the palm strips. Everywhere there was lots of laughter and chatter to be heard.
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