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LEARN ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS
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ART WORKSHOPS
At The Muddy Pond, our passion for art drives us to recognize the critical role it plays in a child's early development. We strongly believe that artistic activities not only cultivate creativity but also enhance intellectual growth. Through art, we stimulate both sides of the brain, boost memory, attention, and concentration, and even improve performance in subjects like reading, math, and science. Moreover, art introduces children to new vocabulary and concepts, broadening their knowledge and understanding.
Since April 2018, we have been dedicated to providing art workshops for underprivileged children in Ethiopia. By collaborating with orphanages and schools, we offer fun and engaging art activities, supplying all the necessary materials both now and for future endeavours. These workshops specifically aim to break down economic and social barriers, ensuring that disadvantaged children have access to art and its myriad benefits.
In our short time implementing these programs, we have witnessed the positive impact art exposure has on children's creativity and communication skills—particularly those with disabilities or learning difficulties. Encouraged by these outcomes, we are committed to sustaining and expanding our workshops, reaching even more children throughout Ethiopia.
MENSTRUAL UNDERWEAR
One of our main objectives is to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable women by meeting their basic needs. It is essential for women of all ages to have easy access to sanitary products.
At the muddy pond, we have taken action by producing and providing hundreds of period underwear for underprivileged women in Ethiopia and young women in the homeless sector in London. Period underwear are specially designed undergarments that can be worn during menstruation, replacing the need for disposable protection like tampons or pads. This underwear looks and feels like regular underwear but are made with additional layers and special fabrics in the crotch area to absorb menstrual blood. They are reusable, washable, and practical for the entire menstrual cycle.
Our goal is to establish connections with donors, investors, and business partners to support and expand this project. In the UK, we aim to donate period underwear to more young women, specifically those in schools across England and those with disabilities or learning difficulties. In Ethiopia, we have conducted workshops to teach women how to produce their own period underwear, providing them with materials, pattern pieces, and instructions. Our objective is to continue delivering these projects to underprivileged women in Ethiopia.
By 2025, we plan to cultivate bamboo trees to produce bamboo cotton, the crucial and costly material used in making period underwear. Bamboo farming would create more income and job opportunities while maintaining positive impacts on society, the economy, and the environment.
To support our cause or purchase our period underwear, please visit our website. All proceeds go directly back to the muddy pond for funding future projects.
Additional Information and Benefits:
Environmental:
Traditional period products are harmful to the environment. It is important to acknowledge the significant impact these products have on the earth and transition towards more sustainable options.
Our period underwear is made from sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics such as spandex, cotton, bamboo cotton, and polyethylene.
Financial:
Period products can be expensive, as they require ongoing purchases of pads, tampons, and even new underwear due to leaks. In contrast, period underwear can be reused multiple times before replacement. They can simply be washed and treated like regular underwear, saving money in the long run.
Physical:
Period underwear offers a safe and healthy alternative to using tampons, minimizing the risks of toxic shock syndrome and exposure to harmful chemicals. Many tampon companies are not legally required to disclose the chemicals used in their products, and often these chemicals are carcinogens that can cause cancer.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSE
Government statistics reveal that approximately nine million children in Ethiopia, ranging from five to 17 years old, are engaged in various forms of employment. Shockingly, 90 percent of these children are toiling away in the agricultural sector. Alarming figures provided by the labour and social affairs ministry suggest that a staggering 40 percent of these children began working before the age of six, often enduring a grueling 30-hour workweek.
NGOs shed light on the plight of child domestic workers in Addis Ababa, revealing that a staggering 84 percent of these workers are girls. Tragically, many of these young girls suffer from sexual abuse inflicted upon them by their male employers. Moreover, over one-third of these girls are deprived of an education, as they are forced to work exhausting 11-hour days, seven days a week. To further exacerbate the situation, almost half of these child domestic workers do not receive any form of monetary compensation, instead working in exchange for basic necessities such as accommodation and food.
Recognizing the dire need for support, a grassroots organization called "The Muddy Pond" has taken it upon itself to address the needs of child domestic workers. The organization offers short courses in the English language, aiming to equip these young individuals with a valuable skill set and empower them to pursue educational opportunities or gain employment that provides a chance for personal growth within Ethiopia or even abroad.
In 2019, "The Muddy Pond" successfully conducted their first short course in Addis Ababa. The organization provided English/Amharic dictionaries, notebooks, and other stationery supplies. They secured a venue, hired tutors, and devoted three months to teaching over 20 child domestic workers.
Building on this initial success, "The Muddy Pond" is committed to expanding their program. They aspire to extend the course from beginner to intermediate level and reach out to a larger number of domestic workers in Addis Ababa. The organization hopes to acquire a permanent venue and establish a structured system of English courses that operate throughout the year.
If you wish to contribute to the noble cause of "The Muddy Pond" and support their vision, please visit their support page to find ways in which you can make a difference and help them in their mission to expand their program and assist more child domestic workers
FASHION WORKSHOPS
The fashion industry has set its sights on making Ethiopia the leading manufacturing hub in Africa for major companies such as PVH Corporation, Gap, J.C. Penney and H&M. While this plan may initially seem beneficial for Ethiopia's citizens and economy, a recent study by Paul Barrett, Deputy Director of the NYU Stern Centre for Business and Human Rights, reveals a dark side to Ethiopia's growth. The absence of a mandatory minimum wage for the private sector means that Ethiopian garment factory workers receive extremely low salaries. Entry-level workers earn an average of £18 per month, which is only 40 percent of the country's average per capita income. This is far from enough to cover their basic needs, including food, housing, and transportation.
The study highlights that the government made a crucial mistake by assuring Asian suppliers and Western buyers that Ethiopian sewing-machine operators would accept such low wages without complaint. Many of these workers, who come from rural areas, have little training and are unfamiliar with industrial practices. The report emphasizes that skilled labor cannot be achieved with only two weeks of training. Anas Tazi, Ethiopian Country Manager for Decathlon, stated that long-term plans are necessary for success in Ethiopia.
In order to address the challenging circumstances faced by garment workers and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, we have been conducting workshops since 2018 in fashion design and garment construction. Through these workshops, we teach women from underprivileged backgrounds the basics of pattern making, embroidery, and design development. Our mission is to foster the development of individuals' artistic skills, empower them to generate and sustain their own income, and preserve cultural and traditional art practices for future generations.
To support these individuals, we provide sketchbooks, haberdashery, and other equipment for the workshops. Training is conducted in group settings, and visual instructions on embroidery and garment construction are provided through printed handouts.
Our future plans include offering programs in fashion business and marketing to support individuals who aspire to start their own fashion businesses. This way, we can equip them with the necessary tools to generate and sustain their income while opening up business opportunities, such as connecting with luxury brands, buyers, and curators. By expanding their businesses in this way, these individuals can gain the recognition and respect they deserve on a global scale, while also passing on their knowledge to others. This can be achieved by facilitating collaboration between future designers and artists from the African continent with the fashion industry outside of Africa.