Socially responsible craft in South Africa

In 2008 jewellery designer Gitte Nygaard collaborated with Jair Straschnow on an engaging, social project in Durban, South Africa. The project was nominated for Rotterdam Designprijs '09.

Photo: Ruben Abels

With 1.3 million inhabitants Durban is the third largest city in South Africa. There are around 3000 street children in the city of Durban. As part of an international art- and design project called Cascoland, the Danish jewellery designer Gitte Nygaard collaborated with Dutch-Israeli furniture designer Jair Straschnow on a project aimed at helping the street children in Durban.

Umthombo is a drop-in centre for street children. Its work focuses on ‘back-to-school-programmes' as well as bringing the children back to their families. Each day up to 70 children come to the drop-in centre and get a simple meal, but they are not allowed to sleep there and they have no storage space for their few personal belongings.

After having spent some weeks at the Umthombo centre, Gitte Nygaard and Jair Straschnow came up with a number of practical solutions for the centre's many shortcomings. The concept included locker facilities and game tables for the children. 

Danish Crafts supported Gitte Nygaard financially to participate in Rotterdam Designprijs' censored exhibition with the Umthombo project.

Postbox lockers. The street children in Durban have no storage space for their few personal belongings. The postbox locker concept is both a practical solution, to provide the kids with a space of their own, tiny as it might be, and at the same time use the postboxes as a visual sign to announce the street children issue to the people of Durban. A local factory manufactured the red postbox lockers with combination locks. Photo: Gitte Nygaard

Red Game Table. Tables and benches with three different games engraved in the surface of the table (checkers, mill and kalaha). Photo: Ruben Abels

Howzit. Swings/hammocks for the street children in Durban. A place for playing or resting. Photos: Gitte Nygaard