Sculpting for the future



Collecting flip flops and plastics from the mangroves

This week started excitingly with a visit from a group of artists from Europe and members of the Msambweni Turtle Group - they have come to the south coast of Kenya to collect flip flops and exchange ideas and teach skills for re-using and recycling waste such as flip flops, to make jewellery and sculptures. In the past Mkwiro has been highly involved in such activities and still make flip flop bead strings for UNECO.



The flip flop turtle creation

The purpose of this specific trip was to gather waste materials to go towards making sculptures for exhibition in Valencia, highlighting marine conservation issues (www.Skeletonsea.com). Our volunteers joined in with the group to collect rubbish from the Mkwiro mangroves, hauling large bags of flip flops and plastics through the mud! And this weekend they went to visit to see the progress of the sculpting at Msambweni Turtle Information Centre.



The Albartross made from washed up rubbish



The results were a large Albatross, with it's stomach full of rubbish and a flip flop scuplted Turtle. It is amazing to see such publicity being given to important marine conservation issues and we are thankful to have been a part of it! We just hope the message about respecting the marine environment and ensuring it's health for the future hits home.



Sculpting for the future