Ffrash of high quality, sustainable design furniture and interior of the house of trash products, giving former street children a chance at a better life. Their values? 100 percent of the waste, sustainable 100 percent, 100 percent design and 100 percent profit. We meet two ladies in charge for details.
Karin van Horssen
Renate Surrd-Joossink
start with a little background information about you both. What is your background and what you put in the design of domestic products on waste in Bekasi
Renate : I came to Jakarta in 2013, after working for over 15 years for Wegter Consumenten BV in the Netherlands, where I developed concepts for the kitchen and dishes in many different styles. Accompany my husband to Indonesia Ffrash was the logical step to share my experience and contribute to this great opportunity. Jakarta, with its more than adequate amount of waste and the high number of street youth, needs awareness and support. Give former street youth a second chance by providing them with shelter, education, work experience in combination with sustainable waste product design, is the ideal way for me to support the Indonesian company.
Karin : After different marketing jobs in the Netherlands, I decided to start my own business in 2008. By creating clothing for women and girls, I combined creativity and entrepreneurship. The work of my husband myself and my family brought to Indonesia in 2013. The first time I saw the Ffrash product design and heard the story behind the project, I was really impressed. So when I had the opportunity to join this great project, I did not hesitate. With Ffrash, again, I can combine creativity and entrepreneurship, but the most important :. Give the former street children in Jakarta a second chance
Where do you get your recyclables?
Wine bottles are usually given by friends and we work with some restaurants to purchase their used bottles of wine, too. We are always in need of water bottles of wine and glass. table vases are made from fishing boats bulbs, which were once thrown overboard when broken. We buy most of our other materials directly from the waste pickers.
I actually have one of your vases made from the bulb of a fishing boat. Where did you get your inspiration for this unique design?
The vase was designed by the Dutch designer Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout. They traveled to Indonesia several times to visit the garbage dumps in search of the right materials. After designing the collection Ffrah, they formed the team on how to handle the tools and machines and the various aspects of product design.
What creative ideas do you work now?
At present, we are working with Indonesian designers, Karsa, and we are looking for new designers who can develop and add new Ffrash collection.
A vase made of a light bulb fishing boat used
Tell us about the children you work and train as artisans. These children lived on the streets before becoming part of Yayasan Kampus Diakonia Modern ( KDM) and entering in your program. What positive developments have you noticed in their characters to be part of Ffrash?
Ffrash works closely with KDM, a local foundation that provides shelter to former street children. Ffrash believes that every child deserves the right to a sustainable future in a clean environment. With this vision, we have created an opportunity for street children to become skilled workers who can transform waste into beautiful product design. Ffrash provides former child of the older street 16 to 19 years, the training of 18 months, but also provides these youth with the knowledge and skills to start their own business.
In Ffrash, they learn to use and develop their skills in different ways. They work in Ffrash workshop Monday to Friday. In addition, we offer them the school - English courses and safety training. We note that some children are becoming more responsible and confident.
Your craftsmen are paid for their work? How to make sure your work with children is sustainable?
The artisans receive pocket money for their work. There are three key factors - economic growth, environmental issues and poverty - which must be addressed for sustainable development to take place. Poverty in particular, often prevents the sustainable use of natural resources, and it should be handled intelligently to reverse the trend. By integrating environmental conservation on the one hand and economic development on the other, sustainable development can be achieved. In other words, sustainable development requires a balance between ecological, economic and social.
Ffrash went in search of new applications for the reuse of waste to provide more benefits for less-fortunate youth around Jakarta, while reducing the energy required for recycling.
This way Ffrash contributes to sustainable development by creating a better balance between consumption and conservation. It is a fact that wood processing, whether for purposes of furniture or wooden crafts, is part of the culture and tradition of Indonesia. Ffrash not chop more trees to make furniture and interior design products. Instead, Ffrash manufactures furniture and other products reusing waste, showing people that you can create new products without using wood as raw material.
In addition, "upcycling" offers a solution to the problems surrounding waste treatment in Indonesia. And finally, by training young people in the manufacture of furniture, Ffrash gives them the means to succeed in society. Vocational training and professional coaching support street children to break the cycle of poverty. Children learn to create a better future for themselves in a manner respectful of the environment, while learning a trade and entrepreneurial skills.
What is the most moving experience you had while working Ffrash?
The experiment was moving. There are success stories, but sometimes sad stories. It has its ups and downs. That's how it happens in real life ...
Are there challenges you face in working with former street children?
It is clear that their background is .ly different from ours. Sometimes it is difficult to empathize. For us it is important to keep in mind that their origins are different and react the right way.
In your work in this industry, how have you found the Indonesian mentality towards the garbage?
There is still much work to do in Indonesia. It goes slowly, step by step. It will take years after years to change. We just started to notice the presence of several public bins around Jakarta, encouraging people to separate and dispose of their waste more thoughtful.
What can we expect to see Ffrash in the near future?
We want a nice big interior design collection is much wider. We also want to generate more sales outlets. Secondly, we will try to help the former street kids as much as we can, giving them a second chance and a better future. All profits are shared between the children and running the workshop. We invest in their further development and training to give them a second chance.
Thank you! To contact, please email: renate.joossink@gmail.com