Our Goal

To empower a small village in Tanzania by teaching a group of women the skills to transform pineapple waste– into their own textile business.

#WearChange







Currently in Tanzania over 215,000 tonnes of pineapples are exported each year, creating over 308,000 tonnes plant waste. This waste is often burned, releasing over 463,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year in Tanzania.

Within a typical village in Tanzania, the average family makes approximately $2-3 CDN each day. While on average it costs $358 CDN to send a child to school per year. Many people living in Tanzania's rural areas have difficulty providing for their family.

Project Piña is the brain-child of a group of Enactus George Brown students from Toronto, Canada looking to make a difference.



So how do we help reduce this waste while energizing the economy in Matipwili?

Our team was contacted by an individual looking to help bring new economic opportunities to the small village of Matipwili, Tanzania. From our research, we found an idea that would reduce waste, as well as teach new and transferable skills to a local community of women. This is done by creating a fabric called Piña.

Piña fabric is made from 100% pineapple leaves. After the fruit is harvested the leaves are considered waste, which are burned– releasing carbon dioxide emissions and plant waste.

Instead of burning the pineapple leaves, we will collect LOTS of pineapple leaves. Once collected, we will then break it down to remove strands within the leaf, and weave them together to create a beautiful fabric!

This project creates opportunities for women to use their creativity, and make organic designs with their textiles. In the process of learning, we will also teach them how to basic accounting, marketing and sales.

Example: Carrie Underwood wearing a Piña Dress made by Oliver Tolentino

How will Project Piña work?

Project Piña is a two stage program that the participants will be a part of:

Stage 1: Weave, weave, weave!

Build a loom out of easily accessible resources

Learn to extract the fibres from the pineapple leaves

Learn the weaving process (this knowledge can be transferred to various fibres)

Create Piña Fabric!

Stage 2: Make some money

Learn practical business skills such as: Marketing, Sales, Budgetting

Design packaging & Branding of business

Create partnerships with local businesses, designers and distributors

Enactus George Brown has successfully established a program called Girls Going Forward (GGF) in St. Lucia that aims to help women gain financial independence, through entrepreneurship. Millicent Geonzon (top left) extracting pineapple leaves' fibres. Lauren Gazen (top right) teaching one of GGF in St. Lucia's participants how to make body scrubs. Sam Lee and Adonia Vlasis (left corner) with some of GGF in St. Lucia's participants, and several of Enactus George Brown's team members (right corner) with all of Girls Going Forward - St. Lucia's participants!

WITH YOUR DONATIONS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AND GUIDE WOMEN IN MATIPWILI, TANZANIA WITH FINANCIAL RESOURCES, AND TOOLS THEY NEED FOR QUALITY EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND INDEPENDENCE THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

Why Donate To Project Piña?

Our mission is to impart new and transferable skills to Tanzanian women who are eager to learn. Preserve our environment’s natural resources by reducing waste from the production of plant waste and carbon dioxide emissions. Ultimately, empower Tanzanian women to be seen as equal partners in decision-making, and ensure they have the right to support themselves, their families, and their community’s quality of living.

**UPDATE:** Project Piña has created its first partnership with a prominent designer in Dar es Saleem, Tanzania who will be purchasing the women's product to incorporate into her designs!

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and Former Filipino President Benigno "Nonoy" Aquino, right, wearing the Barong Tagalog, a national Filipino shirt made from Piña cloth.

Current Demand for Piña

Currently in Tanzania, clothing manufacturers and fashion designers are in desperate need of domestically-made fabrics . Often fabrics are imported at a high cost as very few villages weave fabrics.

. Often fabrics are imported at a high cost as very few villages weave fabrics. Piña is an organic fabric , which holds cultural significance to many individuals from Asian-Pacific regions. In recent years, many families from within these regions have began immigrating to Tanzania. Thus, has created a need for organic fabrics.

, which holds cultural significance to many individuals from Asian-Pacific regions. In recent years, many families from within these regions have began immigrating to Tanzania. Thus, has created a need for organic fabrics. Within Matipwili and surrounding villages, there are no villagers that weave their own fabrics meaning that this would be a new skill taught to community.

meaning that this would be a new skill taught to community. Piña is also an amazing way to repurpose eco-waste, create jobs, teach skills and empower a community.

REWARDS:

One of our partners, a prominent designer in Dar es Saleem, Tanzania creates sustainable and hand made accents throughout Africa, and uses cow horn/bone as buttons as well as upcycled materials or batik dyeing in the design.

These are just some of the handmade with hand dyed fabric, and cow horn accented scarves (left and right) and hat (centre) that our partner has created for tourists. There's also the option for different colour customization, and added options (business name tag, your name stitched, etc).

Our Team

We are Enactus George Brown, an organization of volunteering students who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of our communities. With the help of our faculty and business leaders, we look to find ways to help encourage, inspire and empower those around us.

We believe in developing sustainable relationships who share the same vision of empowering our nearby communities.



Annually, our team participates in two competitions where we are able to showcase our projects to professionals from all around Canada. This year, we presented a proposal for Project Piña and won 3rd place in the Regionals Scotiabank Eco Challenge! Our team also reached semi-finals in the Nationals Competition this year making us one of the top teams in Canada.

Last year our team:



Ran 7 projects & programs

With a 100+ student team

Empowering over 500 people

Completing 12,000+ volunteer hours

In 3 countries

With 15+ organizational partnerships

TALK TO US AND DONATE TODAY:

Website: Enactus George Brown

Twitter: @enactusgbc

Facebook: @enactusgeorgbrown

Facebook: @projpina

Instagram: @projpina



Twitter: @projpina



