Althea Stevens, our UK Co-ordinator, has just begun a 3 month visit to our base in Emau Hill, Tanzania. Here, she updates us on the work of the Women's Craft Co-operative that Tukae helped to establish.

Most of my time during my previous visit here was spent helping to establish the work of the Women's Craft Co-operative by developing designs with them and teaching sewing techniques. The women who work in the Craft Co-operative are still busy, but have probably made enough products for the time being. The African dolls we worked on have been particularly successful with sales as far afield as the UK and Denmark.

An ongoing problem for the women has been the inadequacy of their working space and we have been running a number of fund-raising initiatives to help build a workshop for them. Yesterday I went to see where they are working. It is a room about 3.5m by 2.5m, with bunk beds at one end where the women sleep, shelves along one of the long walls and two treadle sewing machines occupying a corner. There is no cutting out table - I don't yet know where they do that. There is no secure place to store any equipment, and, though it is as clean as they can make it, it is not a suitable place to do handiwork.

Throughout the rest of my stay I expect to be working with them for a few hours a week, looking mostly at quality. We want them to aim for high standards, to make their goods well enough to sell at tourist outlets in Tanzania as well as in the UK and Denmark.

Supporting the Craft Co-operative is an important part of our work here. Providing young, vulnerable women with a way to earn their own living allows them independence and security. For more information about how you can help see our Workshop Appeal and Katie Richards' Athens Marathon page.