Week 2 here in Kerala brought lots of learning opportunities and exciting tasks. After a short travel day to Chalakudy, we arrived at our new house, which was a beautiful family home on the outskirts of the village. On our first day, we ventured deep into the rainforest and met Manju, the inspiring founder of Forest Post. She told us all about how Forest Post was created and the impact it has had on the local forest communities. In the afternoon, we enthusiastically attempted to learn how to weave from a group of women who sell their products through Forest Post. It was a really insightful day, and I learnt a lot about rural communities and the world of sustainable craft.
On our second day we visited another Forest Post location and met another group of women who specialise in making soaps, lip balms and body butters. We helped to make the products and learnt how to package them too. That day, I had an enlightening conversation with Manju about levels of legal awareness in rural forest communities, particularly among women. As part of my personal project here, I am researching the prevalence, or lack, of legal awareness in these communities and what could be done to improve it. After a day spent preparing our proposal for Forest Post, we presented our ideas to Manju the next day. We shared a range of suggestions, including ways to strengthen Forest Post’s social media and online presence.
A big thank you to Manju for having us this week. I genuinely learnt so much and feel very grateful to have spent time with such brilliant women. Next, we are heading to the Self Employed Women’s Association in Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.