Material Change II

Halfway I am, reading this book by Eve Blossom. It's good; she says some very interesting things about (social) design. I can relate to her practice with Lulan Artisans through the craft projects in Malawi. Even with many differences, for the craft projects in Malawi are focusing on a local market, which is essential in this case. Still, we can learn from all of these projects.
Here's a few issues worth quoting:

Good design is creating enduring values. For good design sustainability and social good are new values. Essential is that local culture is partner in the ownership of a project.
Indeed these things are essential.  Enduring value has to do with beauty, longevity, material sources and social circumstances for production.
Social design and fairtrade don't work if you come in from abroad and push some 'design' into the community. That won't last, and has little to do with local strength.

For a strong development of social design we need disruptive entrepreneurship. 
Entrepreneurship that has a strong vision, that is grassroot, that doesn't wait for official canals to be ready. Indeed we, those with ideas, just have to do it. Make it happen. In Malawi we, the women and me, just started. I brought in the ideas, curated their skills, they were eager to just do it.

It's about knowledge DNA and design sprouts. Work matters, not structure.
Knowledge which is new to a community doesn't stay just by bringing it in. It has to become the DNA of the community. Therefore knowledge has to be collaborative and needs to assimilate with local skills and crafts.
After a while the knowledge and new ways of utilising skills become budding ideas and design sprouts; being passed from one person to another. In this way it grows, develops and becomes better. A most natural way of creating social change. And when this 'business model' doesn't have a name, or doesn't fit in any well-known model, so be it. Knowledge is everything. In Malawi people are not used to create new ideas. Their lives have a strong, traditional routine. School education is poor in the area where the villages are, and women have a low social position. But with inspiration and diving in their lives they suddenly accelerate. Curious, working together, passing on skills to others and focused.

Diversity creates strength.
Most important. It's better to focus on more than one skill/product/design. Local circumstances can change rapidly sometimes, and when for instance a source material is not available for a while, the whole business comes to a standstill. Better to have other options as well. That's why we discussed other crafts than knitting in Malawi. Finally we decided to also work on basketry. Bamboo is always available and at no costs. The new skill of making baskets is something that literally thrilled them!