Local craft workshops

An artisanal tie-dyeing workshop is part of a multifaceted livelihood advancement program implemented by First Quantum, which has owned and operated the Guelb Moghrein mine since 2004.

Sustainable income from a traditional craft

The program is designed to provide training and a pathway to turn traditional crafts into a viable livelihood for some of Mauritania’s most vulnerable people: women who could find themselves struggling to earn a living once the town’s main source of employment is gone and many mine workers – primarily men – leave to find jobs elsewhere. This is important because the mine is entering the second half of its operating life, with wind-down and ultimate closure projected in the next decade.

Community-led

The program was developed through extensive consultations with the local community, including conducting a baseline survey among women in Akjoujt and the surrounding district. Respondents were asked to identify activities in which they would benefit from formal training and support, which were then prioritized in terms of their social and economic sustainability, yielding a shortlist that included sewing, pattern making, embroidery – and the time-honored Mauritanian art of tie-dyeing. A group of participants was then selected according to two key criteria: (a) women had to be economically vulnerable, as heads of households with young children to support and no reliable source of income, and (b) they needed to be already engaged in a designated activity, with at least basic levels of knowledge and skill.

The tie-dyeing program proved to be a huge success with makers and consumers. In the past, Akjoujt residents had to do most of their clothes shopping in the capital, Nouakchott, about 250 km to the southwest on the Atlantic coast. Now they can buy them in the local marketplace, from women who are their neighbors, share their values and are helping to keep more money within the local economy.