August 15, 2024 • 47 mins
Okeyele-Olatunji Elizabeth talks to Sugar Gay Isber about her journey to teach children and sometimes their parents how to create with their hands by learning the art of knitting and crocheting.
It's a fantastic journey Elizabeth takes us on as she discusses the many benefits of helping children learn a handicraft.
Her company, Tunnizze Creation, teaches children in Africa to knit and crochet. She travels the country teaching at schools, private lessons, orphanages, and conferences. Elizabeth is an inspiration as an entrepreneur, teacher, and businesswoman—and she's also a wonderful person!
Elizabeth and Sugar are both members of the Craft Industry Alliance.
- You can learn more about it here: https://www.instagram.com/craftindustryalliance/
Email Elizabeth to sponsor her amazing work: Tunnizzie@gmail.com.
Here are more links to connect with her:
- https://craftindustryalliance.org/9-tips-for-teaching-children-to-knit-and-crochet/
- Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tunnizze/
- Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tunnizzecreation
- https://textilesocietyofamerica.org/13389/member-monday-with-okeyele-olatunji-elizabeth
#african #children #knitting #crochet #entrepreneur #businesswoman #smallbusiness
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, welcome to Jewelry as Your Side Hustle with Sugar Gay Yisper and today I'm meeting with a
(00:07):
friend of mine in Nairobi and that's my favorite continent because my son is there and his husband
is coming next week to come visit and I am just you know I'm smitten so if you've ever been to
Africa you get what I'm talking about and today we have a very special guest coming from Nairobi
she's going to tell us all about Lagos Nigeria. Lagos Nigeria, I said it wrong. It's because my son
(00:34):
was just in Nairobi so that's why. Okay so we're going to get started and welcome to our show Elizabeth
and now introduce yourself to everyone because we're happy that you're here coming from so far away.
Thank you so much Sugar. It's amazing to be with you. Your smile is captivating. So my name is
Okiele Olatunji Elizabeth. I own Tunis creation and our organization is passionate about passing
(01:01):
on needle crafts to children across Africa. In 2010 we set a goal to reach 30,000 African children by
2030 so we are right about getting as many volunteers as possible, getting as many tools as possible
to get children in Africa working with their hands and it's so exciting. That is very exciting because
(01:25):
if we don't do that all of these handicrafts could be lost and there's a lot of this it's got to be
passed down from generation to generation so and it also gives them something to do with their hands
and use resources that they found so tell us more because this is so exciting to me so exciting to
(01:45):
my heart and also at the end when you talk about how we can help you because it's a really big deal
what you're doing. I'm proud of you. Thank you so much Sugar. So the idea is to get as many children
as possible working with their hands because compared to the Europe, European countries and the US
very few children know what to do with their hands and what about data for those who are for the adults
(02:10):
who are knitting and crocheting across Africa there's very few data so the goal is to work in
partnership with any country that we spotlight get the local volunteers in that country work with
the local yarn stores in that country work with the local yarn shops and work with children in
centers work with children in schools work with children in homes work with children in marginalized
(02:32):
community so it's like an outreach and we choose to be do this outreach twice or tries in a year
so once we spotlight any country that we're visiting we get all of these things together
and off we go for a period of three to five days working across with the awesome volunteers
and passing on these needlecraft skills to these children and it's amazing because we've actually
(02:52):
done the first pilot pilot part of this program in Kenya Nairobi last year where we work with
Eshi Yans and 11 awesome volunteers from Nairobi and we're able to reach close to a thousand children
you know we taught them how to knit and crochet and the needles were supplied by pony needles
industry alpha industries Nigeria also gave yarn and Eshi Yans herself also made some donations
(03:16):
and we work with amazing children in different forms one thousand of them so now this is the beauty
of working with the local volunteers the beauty is when we leave the local volunteers get to continue
the program with these children they check on them they give them more skills to learn and they also
work to the point where they create a platform for these children to sell their goods because it's
(03:39):
not just only about teaching these children or this young adult or young people this skill
it's about supporting them to make a market for their handwork so they have to be able to sell it
exactly so the local volunteers now continue the pilot program with these children and we're always
in contact so we can now offer these local volunteers more skills and we say oh you can get more training
(04:03):
from craft craft and craft council of america you can get more training from american american
council you can get more training from knitting for all you can have this supportive platform
where you get more skills that you have to get to teach these children and this is like a win-win
for the volunteers in that not only do they offer their skills to just children who do not have anything
(04:24):
to pay them they also can offer their skills that they have been trained to work with children who
can pay for this activity so it's like an empowerment it's like employment it's like putting something
beautiful in the hands of both the children and the volunteers and it's not just yarn because I
have another friend of mine that I'm gonna get the QF with because she's like a she's a dear to me
(04:46):
and she crochets because she's from over there I'm not exactly sure where she's from I don't want to
miss saying it but she crochets with wire and beads it makes amazing sculpture so you know it's just
that whole act of doing and their repetitiveness and learning to love and don't you find that
(05:06):
there's like real artists they're just born artists do you see that sometimes in your kids like
yes so we you mean children who are born artists right I think I was born an artist I think if I
would have had you teaching me I would have been so happy it would have been like yeah I'm making
(05:26):
things like yes yes within you it's not just like oh I'm learning a new skill and it's gonna be
helpful now exactly exactly sometimes very few times you find this just child or you find this
young person who you just give a little push a little skill and boom they peek and they explode
and they keep going and they are exploring and then you also find that child who you have to give
(05:50):
the knowledge continue support you give all the motivation of the inspiration and they are able
to go on but this is it every child deserve a chance to experiment and work with their hands
and work with yams so our goal is to give them that chance by putting these materials in front
of them that's the yarn that's the knitting pin they will now see give that child a chance to
(06:13):
harness their potential to see if they have this natural gift as a craft artist or textile artist
or yarn artist or if they just want to do it as a past time so they need the opportunity they need
the chance just like you got your chance with your jewelry as well and you're able to explore
I have so many beautiful things you're doing with your hands every child deserve that chance
(06:34):
right and I really think that that's like the best gift that you can give a child is the ability
to learn a skill that they'll be able to pass down to their kids or teach somebody else so I have
I have a really good question for you because I'm like I'm thinking they're not knitting sweaters
in Africa like that would be are they knitting sweaters yeah yes in a place like Nairobi the
(06:59):
weather can be a bit cold so yes you can knit sweater there are other there are other cold
regions in Africa where sweater is nice but everyone can make a plushy everyone can make
a small teddy bear then everyone can actually apply the knitting and crochet to their environment
so what is in your environment could it be that you could actually knit emojis do you know emojis
(07:25):
yeah yes happy emojis excitement emojis positive emojis and you could have the small small small
small plushies with knitted or crocheted with emojis in school bags there could be accessories
in school bags and you could say you could say oh I am crocheting and knitting this plushies this
small toys to teach friends in my environment to tell everyone in my environment that a smile
(07:51):
is better than a frown or you could say I'm knitting or crocheting to create awareness for
bullying that bullying is wrong and everyone can can speak up for when when he or she's been bullied
you can actually make knit or crochet tiny hats for pre-tied babies the most important thing is you
have the skill and you can use it to better your environment and your community right little blankets
(08:13):
you can even knit a rug yes with rag you know rag rugs I have them all over I'm here not in
this room but I have multiple rugs so you know that whole process of just working the fabric
working the yarn working the needles you know the different sizes of needles and what they like
(08:34):
there's a it's a huge community the knitting community you know is it hard to find wool
over there or yarn is that like something and that's a whole other process it's making that yarn like
I don't know if there's somebody over there that's doing that but that's like a whole process I know
those people back in Canada I was friends with the spinners they were the girls that would take
(08:59):
that wool they bought it by like a train load full and then they would clean it and dye it and then
they were actually like they would just walk around spinning wool like they were ancient women
because every piece of fabric from the beginning of time until you know until industrial civilization
had to be spun that make the thread to make the looms to make the the cloth and these girls were
(09:24):
crazy good like they were from a different time like that was just something they could walk around
and spin they had little hand spinners and they could just spin that wool as they were doing
their whatever even sitting by the TV you know didn't require the huge spinning wheel like we
associate with that but it's a big business too is that the beginning product well you know now
(09:49):
in in Nigeria and some of Africa except South Africa where they produce mohair and alpaca yes
there are other regions of Africa only produce acrylic and most of those acrylic actually the
fibers are imported they are not produced in the in Nigeria they are the acrylic fibers imported
but it is spun into a yarn in Nigeria so we have acrylic yarns all over the place acrylic can be
(10:15):
pretty good for learning because it's actually cheap absorbs colors and is very attractive but
when it comes to finishing when it comes to fabric when fabric acrylic doesn't work so we
are trying to work in partnership with the yarn factory and say we are in eco-friendly we are
eco-friendly community in the world at the moment we do not want a non-bald degradable yarns you can
(10:39):
give us natural yarns and so we have some fewer companies like Alpha who are producing a bit of
cutting I was sent some samples to experiment with recently 100% cutting made in Nigeria cutting
that can be spun into yarn for our young ones to work with but in in the interim I have companies
like Rowan Yance who sent me samples of premium and premium and amazing yarns for my learners and I
(11:02):
take a few balls to class do in my outreach center to some of the schools who I'd worked with in the
past to say yes you can actually work with a hundred percent wool yarn and it's an amazing
feeling when I skip when a child takes a ball of 100% wool and I say this yarn was gotten from a sheep
so as we keep evolving as we keep talking about this act and craft as we keep getting as many
(11:24):
people to work with their hands we are confident that in the future we have more companies more
factories who want to sell who want to invest in the markets will say yes we can produce luxury yarns
luxury organic yarns luxury natural yarns for these children to work with and for the future
generation okay so I'm already like in my mind packing a box for you I'm like is it hard to
(11:49):
send stuff to you can be pretty expensive well besides the cost is it hard to get things through
customs I know I've sent things to my son before and it took like I don't know like four months
or something like that to get there and it was like a big hassle and they lost the box and
I don't know it was like a lot of things happen is it hard to to mail things to you it's not hard so
(12:14):
Rowan Yan actually sent me some yarns um my two ladies knitting needles also sent me some of
return and fairly used um knitting and crochet pins they sent that to me and I also write in a
couple of articles and blogs as well so some of those magazines are sent to me in Nigeria
a bit of article contribution in uppercase magazine as well that have been sent to me so it's fine
(12:36):
and I also happen to come to the US too I was in the US in May so if I could come around you could
actually send these things to my hotel and I could bring them back myself so yeah because I know the
importing is is quite the big okay so I have another really burning question how did you learn and
tell me about that like how old were you when you picked up your first crochet needles and said
(13:00):
yeah that's pretty cool I can do this so I was actually seven when my classmates taught me how to
knit and they taught me with broomsticks so it was something we just did gatter stitch we never
learned how to cast off we never learned how to read patterns it was just broomsticks that I used
to learn how to knit when I was age seven and that was all I did about knitting fast forward to my
(13:21):
undergraduate days and I went to study textile technology and a friend of mine gifted me a knitting
thing and I was like oh I could go back to this craft it was something I love doing and that has
been it all through that time to this very time so when I started my business I was like if you
wake me up in my sleep and tell me a little bit need to crochet and I'll be do this thing why not let
me make a business out of something I really really like to do and that was how soon inspiration was
(13:45):
born it was born out of my passion for teaching and my passion for my love for young so it's a
business that combines my true love love for knitting I'm love for teaching and that's why I don't
ever get tired of teaching children you know I'm the same way so I'm trying to think about like
why you're why you're saying this it's like why am I not doing this why am I not teaching
(14:11):
children I don't I haven't tried to teach children really before you know I teach at the college level
and I love teaching it's I've written two books on it like it's my thing but really like I think
that this is a great opportunity for everybody to look in their communities and go what can I teach
kids you know like how so tell us about like that next step of how you decided to go from okay
(14:39):
I've got this great idea and now I'm going to really put it to use like do you go to schools
and do you tell them like I made an after school program and I'm going to teach because it doesn't
have to be just girls right like yes everywhere everywhere I find children it might be library
it might be book club it might be it might be orphanage homes it might be community centers
(15:02):
it might be schools anywhere I can find children and it was really really difficult at first and
it still is because in Nigeria our economy is struggling and a lot of people can't ask struggling
to afford the basics so very few people can actually say oh I want a knitting and crochet class
and so many times I have to teach for free provided somebody can actually buy the tool so
(15:25):
it's been very stressful but but as the world is going then the covid came and brought a bit of boom
as well into working with the hands a lot of people were indoor and they felt oh what could we do
and they decided to look at knitting and crochet and it's been like that so now is better than how
it was before because before I could go around 40 schools and nobody says hey I want to buy your
(15:46):
knitting classes so it has to do with a lot of my time I have to volunteer and after volunteering
and giving everyone a taste of what it means to learn how to knit and I'll begin to get a little
bit of request and then for my classes and I have a knitting book as well a knitting a busy book
which is in a couple of other libraries across the country not selling so well like that but
(16:07):
I have a few copies people buy here and there and thankfully I had the H&H award in May for the
Golden Seasons Award I was recipient for the Golden Seasons Award in the U.S. and that brought a bit
of light as well to the work I do and I'm also very active on social media as well so I keep
putting the word out there to say if you get your children working with their hands you are going to
(16:30):
help them improve their creativity and I must tell you sugar one of the most creative humans in the
world are children they are so damn creative because they don't have bills to pay they have more time to
think of course and you know I also know that when I was in sixth grade so I don't know how old I was
(16:50):
then like I don't know 10 or 11 in my art class and I had two sisters that were older than me and
one of them was really excellent in art and that art teacher was teaching me and she did not like
my art and did not go well in that class and after that I never did art again because she was so
(17:10):
ugly to me and I thought it wasn't until I got to college and I my first semester I had to take
a class in ceramics it was just an extra class and then halfway through the semester my my
professor said uh yeah you yeah you've ruined the budget for the whole class you're now up to
like 100 pieces and that's like shop my budget so slow down so I found like that all that pent-up art
(17:37):
that I hadn't been doing for you know all those years just exploded out of me and I never looked
back and I was instantly an artist so it has to be encouraging words to these kids even if you
don't like what they're doing it doesn't matter they their vision is not necessarily your vision
but you've got to be like kind to these kids that she could crush them like that was crushed so that's
(18:02):
why I'm so sympathetic to learn so it's important when I when I do train teachers as well teachers
who also want to teach children how to knit and I tell them you are actually you you have this
chance to mold this child you have an opportunity to to impact this child with the skill of knitting
you must take this job seriously and be mindful of your words so when a child makes an effort in
(18:25):
the knitting or crochet we do not compare children when they make an effort oh in two to three classes
this child can only make a chain inspire them this child can only crochet or make a chain and this
child can only knit some few stitches of data rows data rows on her knitting or knitting sticks
be be be full with commendation commendation is like watering flowers and when you constantly
(18:49):
water a flower it's going to bloom be very commendable and commend them and help them understand that
this is not a race and there's no assessment for this skill do your thing and do it at your will
and I've been able to have children who has bloomed over time and who have been absolutely well
and they maybe now help other to teach others did I see you on the American craft alliance
(19:16):
webinar or meeting round table this week is that what I met you
yes that's what you met me yeah yeah that's what I thought because those women those women
need to know your story those women does abby know your story like yes that should be that should be
a good deal all the extras so supply should go to you like I'm kind of shocked by that
(19:40):
yes abby is amazing I have a couple of articles on ab on the craft industrial alliance website
that I wrote and abby has been very supporting I actually that was it was true abby's platform
that I won the godness is this award and it's been very very encouraging I was in the US and I
met some awesome young company I met my two ladies needles in the US and they they sent
(20:01):
they are sending me at the moment I have one box to have gotten the remaining two boxes are on the way
of knitting pins and crochet pins and some bags for these children who cannot afford to buy them
so yes the what is out there I'm just saying on the next meeting next month the first Tuesday of
every month we have a round table I if you don't do it I'm going to speak up for you because it's
(20:25):
like hey does everybody know we have this great opportunity for all your extra yarn and if you
have any old needles or if you want to help some kids um there's a place and one of our members
needs to have needs to talk to you like this is like so eye-opening to me I am so proud of you
number one I'm so excited to learn about you because I can generously give to your your classes
(20:50):
like I can go to this local stores and buy knitting needles and you know use my coupons and my
whatever I have and you know get a box together I probably have wool around here I have so many
supplies that'll never be used if I don't like find a home for them and then I'm going to introduce
you to my friend who knits with wire in beads because that's kind of like blow your head open
(21:16):
it's like oh I see like she's got a different way of doing the exact same thing we're doing
but now she's taking it to this whole other level and maybe that's something you could reach out with
her because she's a friend and just go hey you know because if you just watched her um Instagram
like she does really good close-ups of over her shoulder of watching her on Instagram yeah I'll
(21:40):
send it to you I'll send it to you I don't want to mispronounce it because it is an African name and
I'm terrible with names I can tell you in two seconds that because she's on my whatsapp and let's
just make sure I don't I don't want to say her name wrong because that would be such an insult
I'm and I'm not great oh okay hold on Naomi that part I got it's uh Gakunga Naomi Gakunga she's
(22:07):
wonderful I'll send you the link but she is um yeah and you could learn really from her Instagram
because you already know what the what change she's changed it she's doing or whatever she's doing and
then oh it's with wire okay well wires and there's and then she does like found objects you know like
because she says to me I learned on my mother's knee this is how my mother you know spread this to
(22:34):
us so she's a she's a teacher too so you have a lot of people that want to support you I know
we just got to get the word out for you and uh help me if you if you were touching the lives of
of little children that are going to become artists one day we need to do everything we can to help
you like that's a whole different game I just I'm so happy that you were on that call and that you
(23:00):
met up with me today so that we could like get this little journey started like it's so good to
give back it's so good for our hearts over here to think about how we could help another artist
somewhere or multiple children uh to you know create something that they could sell now we know
that selling is the hardest part because I'm an artist and I make lots of stuff but selling is the
(23:25):
hardest part like to be an entrepreneur you have to be able to so many things you know like we have
social media we have to be able to take pictures we have to be able to make videos we have to be
able to have a website like there's like there's so much more than just oh I'm a creator it's like
I'm a creator but I gotta be able to sell this so how how is that process for you because is that
(23:50):
like the next level of teaching like it's like a whole other thing right now for children it's
most it's much more than the product it's also about the process what the process does for them
that when you are meeting with your two pins you are engaging the both part of your brain
the left and the both part of the brain and you are getting your brain to think
(24:10):
so what you're taking away from meeting is the will to think then also you're also learning
that things follow a process you start from casting on you get through the learning curve you learn
how to knit you learn how to cast off you learn how to read patterns you learn how to follow through
and that's the natural order of things so children learn that they learn creativity they also learn
(24:32):
finishing and they also learn how to appreciate the hard work of others so if a child spends a whole
term trying to knit or crochet teddy bear you won't have that child go to a museum and see the art
of others and want to re-unit because he or she would have thought if I can put this much hard
work into trying to make a small thing how much hard work this artist have put into trying to
(24:54):
put this masterpiece in the museum so children are taking away the beauty of hard work then
we are also having an age where most some children actually getting addicted to being on the internet
being addicted to their iPads being addicted to their phones being addicted to their electronics
so one way they can actually distress or deplog is by working with their hands and they're also
(25:18):
able to process their thoughts you know we have a couple of young people in Nigeria at the moment
who are so falling in love with crochet I have some of them who actually sign up for my class
so you find they are communicating and their hands are busy they are crocheting they're also
learning the beauty of community they're learning the beauty of communication and this is I am also
telling parents if your children sign up for knitting or crochet class you can sign up with them as
(25:41):
well and learn together parents can sign up in their spare time as well and learn with their
children and what better way when we have a skill that can help us get to the mind of our children
so it's not just about the products but also about the process very few times the school have like
an art exhibition an entrepreneurship fair where children can actually display their product and
(26:04):
parents can come in to pick it so that is also encouraged but the goal is more of what the skill
and the process of the skill than the product you know I love it that you're teaching them to
appreciate and their artists because that's really how you also learn I think that that's brilliant
like that really puts everything back together it's like it's not just about you it's not just
(26:28):
about your mother and your community and then it's about appreciating all different levels of art
that from the beginning to the museum quality so if you open that world like open up the world of
like the professionals to them so they can see so they can inspire to that so they can go oh I can
make something even better than that like that's where they probably really just blossom because
(26:53):
then they can really like see oh I'm doing this for a reason and mine it's not always gonna look
like this it's gonna get better and better and better because it is using both parts of your
brain and you know using those skills that's you know like I remember look you know how I learned
jewelry is that my grandmother taught me how to sew hand sewing she should have showed me a machine
(27:16):
it would have been a little bit better use for my time but I learned so then when it came time I had
to make something it's like my jewelry ended up I don't know if I have a piece around here but I
still do it today where it's like sewing it's like beads and wire and and wiring on beads to a piece
of wire I don't know if I have a piece here anywhere I'm gonna show you but that's really oh here
(27:40):
here's one it's a crown it's a picture of a crown I don't know if you can see it but that crown is all
just hand sewing like you know it's my grandmother showing me how to do embroidery that led me to
creating a bracelet which led me to I don't know if I have another one in here which led me to this
so it it does connect the dots all the way through you never know how it's gonna end up
(28:05):
you know could have been that I got really good in embroidery I still have the pair of shorts
there was a little pair of jean shorts I was knitting I did the back pockets that she sat there with
me and and we did together and I still have that because it was priceless to me like that was something
that that was something that just meant meant the world to me that I I know where those are
(28:29):
could never fit into a boot this big but you know you know it was a long time ago so but it does it
does come down to that where we have to be shown you know how how to do things and the earlier
the better the earlier the better so tell me about your typical day a typical day in the life of of
(28:51):
you how does it work my typical day actually starts with me brainstorming and thinking about the
children who I want to teach or who I have been teaching and who I want to go meet so I like surprises
so I'm always having extra yarns with me when I pack my bags I pack extra yarns and smaller balls
of yarn variegated yarns funny looking kind of yarns and I have them with me as I pack my back
(29:17):
to go to the school I want to teach not only that I also like wearing um modeling something
finished that I had knitted or crochet something different new and every time in the week so I
also like to wear that wear something finished as I pack my bag as well on my way to work and when
I get to work and it's time for my class I could just pop in I have them already bringing their
(29:39):
things and I also said to them I am not the only person who is coming with surprise you should
also surprise me as well so some of them hide their yes and they're like I'm so when they come and
they work so hard maybe somebody started a teddy bear in class and the teddy bear comes back and he
already has his hair the bunny already done an ice cream did you just make that and everybody's
(30:04):
like everybody wants to surprise me everybody wants to make me happy I want to make them happy as
well so it's a two-way thing I want to get to the I want to get them excited so that they don't get
tired of learning and they also want to get me excited as well and these days we are also infusing
technologies into our class we try to go to youtube and check who is going to inspire us in every
class so we have Jonah Lossin I'm sure you would have heard about him oh yeah yes so we have Jonah
(30:31):
Lossin's videos on youtube that we watch and a couple of young crocheters and it is across the world
who we also see then we have that tech time as well where we get to learn from interactive
board and watch videos to get us expired then I get to check everyone's progress individually
and that can be quite tough you know yes so yes every child is a different level of learning
(30:52):
some still do not know the skill for two to three weeks of class they are still struggling
so the the strategy I adopt in my class is moving from simple to complex so a child can remain in a
simple phase as simple as doing a pre-needing skill of working with the spool loom with the
nifting knitter for weeks provided that child can change color that child can stay on the tax that
(31:13):
child can complete a project that's fine by me and you see that there are other children who
boom you introduce them to knitting last week when they come back they already have a very long
scarf so what do we do we say this child is ready to to progress to the point of reaching a pattern
this child cannot be fed with a meal anymore we need to give you a solid solid solid meal so in a
(31:34):
class of 20 children every one of them is a different phase of learning and that can be quite
intense on the knitting teacher so it's exciting as well and before you know the class is already
over and they're here the bail and they're like oh we don't want to leave and I'm like no the class
is over it's time to go so we pack up making sure that everyone's item is back into their bag
(31:57):
ahead of the next teacher so when I'm done I have to go to another class or another school
it's very intense and it's very exciting yeah I know you give a lot of yourself I I I love your
ideas on teaching it's kind of inspiring me even to be even a little bit better because I don't get
to talk to other teachers so but what what you're saying is exactly right when I'm in a class
(32:20):
somebody might have been doing this all different times in their life and so everybody's at a
different level and that one-on-one is the key so and then not only that I also tell all the
students their adults but I say now these are your friends forever because y'all are having
the same experience together and afterwards I'm your friend forever you can always contact me
(32:42):
but you also have other people that you now know it's about creating a community too like I think
that that's probably really important for your students too is that now they have a new little
friend that they can have a shade with exactly and then also I also leverage on the community to
also teach so when we have the those who need to learn really fast I have them teach those who are
(33:07):
still coming up and the children are better teachers than myself so you at times you could have like
three or four children sign up for knitting or crocheting a class when you come back some months
later everyone in the class is knitting or crocheting. Doesn't it feel good? Exactly so I said to
I said to everyone if you want a skill to our flip generation you have to put it in the hands of
(33:30):
children and so I say you get you get it distributed free teach one learn and teach the others and so
so in a whole in a whole session we can have almost a lot of children who are crocheting they are
being taught by their classmates they are being taught by their friends and they have their
community and some even come and sign up for knitting and say my friend inspired me to come
(33:52):
and knit and my friend inspired me to come and crochet so I let my meters market the club
market my after club go bring your friends they're going to get a free ball of yarn go to them we're
having fun yeah and so it's a community of chit chat chit chat chit chat and it's amazing I mean
that that is I think that that's another reason that gets them excited it's like I'm gonna get to
(34:12):
go back and I'm gonna get to see all these new these friends like you know that's that's just as good
at our age as it is at any age like oh we want to go see our friends you know like have a little
social time have some learning and it makes you feel good that you know you're helping somebody
else to learn and you know all the different things that the teaching and learning all comes
(34:34):
together to really make it a great thing now let's talk about how people can help you do you have
like a a way that people can send you money is that the best like I just want to be your friend
so all right all right but I want to support you because all right now I do not have I do not all
right I do not take um money but I like sponsorship so I would have done Botswana next week but I
(34:59):
didn't get anyone to pay for my flights so you can just buy my flight ticket I could do this visa
you could buy my flight ticket and send me the ticket and I just go right away to the particular
country I want to go to so I have yarn I have some couple of knitting pins but I have no flight
ticket to go to Botswana so people can help me by donating a flight ticket to any country
(35:25):
african country that we spotlighted that's how what any organization can help me and they can
also help by sending me supplies or send to the country we have spotlighting ahead of us
this is send the supplies there so we just go use it to teach the children then you can also
spread the word you can spread the word as well and say oh Elizabeth from Tunis creation is doing
(35:45):
this because the the idea is actually cement I'm not for sizing no one has anything or everything
figured out all yet but it's a process and the more everyday girls the more we meet more children
the more the idea will get bigger and better so all I need are times may just be an email to tell me
oh this is how about you do it like this Elizabeth how about you do it like this Elizabeth so I need
(36:10):
a lot of people to support me I need a lot of people to to be by my side I need a lot of people to
make the announcement on my behalf and I need a lot of people to send me once I termize what I'm
going to be needing in a particular country I need people to help send us support as well
through sponsorship so that it can get done now when you came to the US in May where did you go
(36:32):
I was actually in the H and H America and I was in a hotel so my hotel bills was actually partly
paid by the the stippend from the Golden Seasons award and my two ladies knitting as they actually
helped me pay for my hotel for three days and that was just fine and so a couple of friends
actually did feed me and that was fun and I was able to return back to my home country Nigeria
(36:52):
so I termized the things I'm going to need and I have sponsors take care of that and that's just
fine now I've heard about H and H and of course I'm not a knitter so tell people about H and H
because it's coming up again is it twice a year I'm not sure no once a year I think there's H and H
Cologne in Germany and there's also H and H America H and H is an amazing program sugar it's a
(37:18):
crafters community of crafters those who are in the industry of crafting
showcasing their products in an amazing community of hand people who do handcraft come together
showcase their products what they have to the world and people come and get to meet them connect
and there's conversation and there's community so for the 2024 it happened in the Donald
(37:43):
Stevenson Center in Chicago May 1 to May 2nd and there were amazing keynote speeches there were
speakers from around the world who came in and they spoke about what was happening in their
community with crafting and guess what they talked about they said now is the time to move our
crafting to the hands of the younger generation now is the time they said now is the time because
(38:05):
it's like it's like you were there for a reason to hear that word that you're doing that exactly
thank you so much so they're like this is the time this is the time to move to move this craft to
the next generation and H and H they also showcase young crafters who are doing something extraordinary
so there was one young quitter who was an amazing work her work was on showcase at the H and H
(38:30):
America I can actually pick her names then we have needles yarn manufacturers from all over the world
from Mexico from China from Brazil they were there to exhibit their products they everyone had the
booth assigned to them and they were different quilting project they were different knitting
project they were different crochet product beautiful yarns amazing people all displaying
(38:53):
their products and their services for the world to see and it was beautiful I'm super excited about
10 in H and H24 2025 and guess what I was very plenty on taking videos that I brought back to
my children and I showed them on my YouTube and they're like wow this is amazing then I also got
the opportunity to speak to some next generation generations to them who came from a college
(39:16):
they were studying text and I said to them you could come one day to Africa and see our craft
industry and also come and check in Nigeria as well so there's community there's connection
and it's like a big place for for business those who are in the craft business to connect
and make great connection you should attend in 2025 it's amazing well is there any jewelry there
(39:39):
like I'm a jewelry girl like I can do any kind of art but that's like would I be like
so all kind of yes yes yes you could you could get a stand yes you doesn't have to be
textile or fiber craft as long as it is crafting as long as it's a craft business it's a well it's
like a marketplace for for craft businesses so you can have like a boot you can talk to
(40:00):
abby you can have like a boot and showcase your business to everyone in the world I make great
connection you could look at how can you use your jewelry as a jewelry owner how can you use your
jewelry to speak indigenous languages to other communities in Brazil and across the world so
there's great connections for you and there are a lot of other amazing things that you can do because
I know that your jewelry is going to speak there's a language your jewelry is speaking sugar yeah
(40:25):
sorry I was looking for this one piece and just reminded me like oh my god wait I have that ability
I don't see it here now it must be in another room but oh my god yes I do do this I just don't put
it all together sometimes it's like oh I feel like I'm such an outlier but yeah I'm gonna show you
(40:48):
I'm gonna show I'll find a photo of it and I did a book on it so I'll I don't see a picture
I don't see anything anyway I'm there okay so now I'm excited about H&H especially if I know you're
gonna be there because you should really be a speaker like we need to work on that to make
(41:08):
sure that you're really so that as many people as possible like I'm gonna make sure that I I'm
gonna write a little note to abby and say hey I talked to Elizabeth today and I was really inspired
by her story and you know blah blah blah so now I'm gonna be that I have been I invited into the
H&H 125 I am on I used to volunteer to be on the Planet Committee and I tell you it's an amazing
(41:30):
place to be amazing place so people do know about you okay so as we're like wrapping up this
let's talk about your Instagram okay Tunis creation that's my name on Instagram okay
and on your website also on Facebook as well Tunis creation also on Facebook as well Tunis
(41:54):
creation on Twitter Tunis creation on Instagram okay and you're gonna also email me uh because
I've got you've got my email address we'll figure that all out so that I make sure that I have that
in this so it'll be here so that we we talk about that and it's in the description so everybody
can always find you and anything else that you want to send me about how people can get a hold of
(42:17):
you sponsor you like anything that you want to send email me that we'll make sure that we include
this because people are gonna want this like and people are gonna want to copy your success because
you are a passionate person you are a gifted person you are somebody who really cares about
other people and I think we all need to be doing this so now you're inspiring me that's one you got
(42:41):
me inspired like not only just to help you but to also take it out to the world because that's
you know we can't just we can't just all be you but we can learn from you and take your experiences
and um is there any other like thing that you would say like oh this is the hardest part of
my journey I think the hardest part is probably just getting funds probably so that you can get
(43:05):
informed and take it farther yes I'm also getting the needle and yarn manufacturer notion manufacturer
to invest into the future which is young children now there was a young consumer survey that was
carried out and it was discovered that young people below the age of 18 use all their disposable
(43:27):
income to buy yarn and that is what I had seen first hand in my class so for this company's
producing crafting materials you do not need all the plenty stories for children once they know this
skill be confident they are going to come and have their appearance by your product so if the
companies take it upon themselves to invest into educating this younger generation that is when
(43:52):
we can say but that's when I can say I have been successful the work the work is huge only me
cannot do it I need the companies producing yarn knitting pins notions to get into educating the
younger generation because these ones are the ones who are going to be take these are the future
of all of our crafting the next generation is the future of their crafting and it's important
(44:15):
that we put these things in their hand and we teach them well I am so proud of you you started
off my day which I didn't know was going to go in this direction to get my heart excited to get me
have goosebumps when you're talking about it to make me think a little bit more about this topic
(44:36):
I really hadn't thought about which is teaching but teaching it you know in a new way so I'm excited
about that I'm excited about trying to help you and spread the word and now I'm excited about H&H
and hopefully meeting you there next year because you know I am part of that craft
alliance and you know it does matter to me and that's why I put my money there that's why I spend
(44:59):
time going on these round tables and being a part of the group and trying to spread my word
so you have made my day today I just want you to know that like I know you're on the
opposite side of the world so let's see is it early in the morning no what time is it there
this is 16 23 and that's it 23 minutes after 4 8am to the evening 16 23 p.m. okay so you're like
(45:27):
six hours ahead of me yes that's not worse yeah so that makes about sense so uh I hope that the
rest of your day goes as well as I'm gonna now have and uh I'm gonna be putting together something
for you and and talking to you about other people that I want you to meet and also going on Instagram
(45:49):
and seeing your story and sharing your story and all that so I've got your Instagram as well
yes what is it are you on Instagram yeah sure sugar gay is for everything is sugar gay is for
if you just pop it in it's all I'm I'm all one thing so you know because we're entrepreneurs
we get that that's important that people can find a CC I screenshot your face on my face and I'm
(46:15):
gonna put it on my social media oh yes yes yes yes yes yes do that too so that I don't know I don't
know well I'll I'll end the I'll end the recording and then we will stay on for a second more and
we will do that and I am really grateful to you like thank you so much for coming on to my show
(46:36):
and I look forward to spreading the word and we're gonna make this really fun it's gonna be a great
thank you funnier and I look forward to you coming to Africa Africa is beautiful Africa is beautiful
while my son is just keep saying well I've been there several times but um yeah I know it's just
(46:56):
it's just that long flight the US is very far very far okay for now I'm gonna end this recording
and we are going to uh we're gonna stop but stay on don't leave thank you so much Elizabeth it's
been really great hearing about your teaching and how your heart is so filled with joy on learning
(47:20):
the craft of handicraft really of knitting and crocheting and teaching other girls so they can
teach other girls too so you're a blessing and I'm so happy that we got to do this today
Hi, welcome to Jewelry as Your Side Hustle with Sugar Gay Yisper and today I'm meeting with a
(00:07):
friend of mine in Nairobi and that's my favorite continent because my son is there and his husband
is coming next week to come visit and I am just you know I'm smitten so if you've ever been to
Africa you get what I'm talking about and today we have a very special guest coming from Nairobi
she's going to tell us all about Lagos Nigeria. Lagos Nigeria, I said it wrong. It's because my son
(00:34):
was just in Nairobi so that's why. Okay so we're going to get started and welcome to our show Elizabeth
and now introduce yourself to everyone because we're happy that you're here coming from so far away.
Thank you so much Sugar. It's amazing to be with you. Your smile is captivating. So my name is
Okiele Olatunji Elizabeth. I own Tunis creation and our organization is passionate about passing
(01:01):
on needle crafts to children across Africa. In 2010 we set a goal to reach 30,000 African children by
2030 so we are right about getting as many volunteers as possible, getting as many tools as possible
to get children in Africa working with their hands and it's so exciting. That is very exciting because
(01:25):
if we don't do that all of these handicrafts could be lost and there's a lot of this it's got to be
passed down from generation to generation so and it also gives them something to do with their hands
and use resources that they found so tell us more because this is so exciting to me so exciting to
(01:45):
my heart and also at the end when you talk about how we can help you because it's a really big deal
what you're doing. I'm proud of you. Thank you so much Sugar. So the idea is to get as many children
as possible working with their hands because compared to the Europe, European countries and the US
very few children know what to do with their hands and what about data for those who are for the adults
(02:10):
who are knitting and crocheting across Africa there's very few data so the goal is to work in
partnership with any country that we spotlight get the local volunteers in that country work with
the local yarn stores in that country work with the local yarn shops and work with children in
centers work with children in schools work with children in homes work with children in marginalized
(02:32):
community so it's like an outreach and we choose to be do this outreach twice or tries in a year
so once we spotlight any country that we're visiting we get all of these things together
and off we go for a period of three to five days working across with the awesome volunteers
and passing on these needlecraft skills to these children and it's amazing because we've actually
(02:52):
done the first pilot pilot part of this program in Kenya Nairobi last year where we work with
Eshi Yans and 11 awesome volunteers from Nairobi and we're able to reach close to a thousand children
you know we taught them how to knit and crochet and the needles were supplied by pony needles
industry alpha industries Nigeria also gave yarn and Eshi Yans herself also made some donations
(03:16):
and we work with amazing children in different forms one thousand of them so now this is the beauty
of working with the local volunteers the beauty is when we leave the local volunteers get to continue
the program with these children they check on them they give them more skills to learn and they also
work to the point where they create a platform for these children to sell their goods because it's
(03:39):
not just only about teaching these children or this young adult or young people this skill
it's about supporting them to make a market for their handwork so they have to be able to sell it
exactly so the local volunteers now continue the pilot program with these children and we're always
in contact so we can now offer these local volunteers more skills and we say oh you can get more training
(04:03):
from craft craft and craft council of america you can get more training from american american
council you can get more training from knitting for all you can have this supportive platform
where you get more skills that you have to get to teach these children and this is like a win-win
for the volunteers in that not only do they offer their skills to just children who do not have anything
(04:24):
to pay them they also can offer their skills that they have been trained to work with children who
can pay for this activity so it's like an empowerment it's like employment it's like putting something
beautiful in the hands of both the children and the volunteers and it's not just yarn because I
have another friend of mine that I'm gonna get the QF with because she's like a she's a dear to me
(04:46):
and she crochets because she's from over there I'm not exactly sure where she's from I don't want to
miss saying it but she crochets with wire and beads it makes amazing sculpture so you know it's just
that whole act of doing and their repetitiveness and learning to love and don't you find that
(05:06):
there's like real artists they're just born artists do you see that sometimes in your kids like
yes so we you mean children who are born artists right I think I was born an artist I think if I
would have had you teaching me I would have been so happy it would have been like yeah I'm making
(05:26):
things like yes yes within you it's not just like oh I'm learning a new skill and it's gonna be
helpful now exactly exactly sometimes very few times you find this just child or you find this
young person who you just give a little push a little skill and boom they peek and they explode
and they keep going and they are exploring and then you also find that child who you have to give
(05:50):
the knowledge continue support you give all the motivation of the inspiration and they are able
to go on but this is it every child deserve a chance to experiment and work with their hands
and work with yams so our goal is to give them that chance by putting these materials in front
of them that's the yarn that's the knitting pin they will now see give that child a chance to
(06:13):
harness their potential to see if they have this natural gift as a craft artist or textile artist
or yarn artist or if they just want to do it as a past time so they need the opportunity they need
the chance just like you got your chance with your jewelry as well and you're able to explore
I have so many beautiful things you're doing with your hands every child deserve that chance
(06:34):
right and I really think that that's like the best gift that you can give a child is the ability
to learn a skill that they'll be able to pass down to their kids or teach somebody else so I have
I have a really good question for you because I'm like I'm thinking they're not knitting sweaters
in Africa like that would be are they knitting sweaters yeah yes in a place like Nairobi the
(06:59):
weather can be a bit cold so yes you can knit sweater there are other there are other cold
regions in Africa where sweater is nice but everyone can make a plushy everyone can make
a small teddy bear then everyone can actually apply the knitting and crochet to their environment
so what is in your environment could it be that you could actually knit emojis do you know emojis
(07:25):
yeah yes happy emojis excitement emojis positive emojis and you could have the small small small
small plushies with knitted or crocheted with emojis in school bags there could be accessories
in school bags and you could say you could say oh I am crocheting and knitting this plushies this
small toys to teach friends in my environment to tell everyone in my environment that a smile
(07:51):
is better than a frown or you could say I'm knitting or crocheting to create awareness for
bullying that bullying is wrong and everyone can can speak up for when when he or she's been bullied
you can actually make knit or crochet tiny hats for pre-tied babies the most important thing is you
have the skill and you can use it to better your environment and your community right little blankets
(08:13):
you can even knit a rug yes with rag you know rag rugs I have them all over I'm here not in
this room but I have multiple rugs so you know that whole process of just working the fabric
working the yarn working the needles you know the different sizes of needles and what they like
(08:34):
there's a it's a huge community the knitting community you know is it hard to find wool
over there or yarn is that like something and that's a whole other process it's making that yarn like
I don't know if there's somebody over there that's doing that but that's like a whole process I know
those people back in Canada I was friends with the spinners they were the girls that would take
(08:59):
that wool they bought it by like a train load full and then they would clean it and dye it and then
they were actually like they would just walk around spinning wool like they were ancient women
because every piece of fabric from the beginning of time until you know until industrial civilization
had to be spun that make the thread to make the looms to make the the cloth and these girls were
(09:24):
crazy good like they were from a different time like that was just something they could walk around
and spin they had little hand spinners and they could just spin that wool as they were doing
their whatever even sitting by the TV you know didn't require the huge spinning wheel like we
associate with that but it's a big business too is that the beginning product well you know now
(09:49):
in in Nigeria and some of Africa except South Africa where they produce mohair and alpaca yes
there are other regions of Africa only produce acrylic and most of those acrylic actually the
fibers are imported they are not produced in the in Nigeria they are the acrylic fibers imported
but it is spun into a yarn in Nigeria so we have acrylic yarns all over the place acrylic can be
(10:15):
pretty good for learning because it's actually cheap absorbs colors and is very attractive but
when it comes to finishing when it comes to fabric when fabric acrylic doesn't work so we
are trying to work in partnership with the yarn factory and say we are in eco-friendly we are
eco-friendly community in the world at the moment we do not want a non-bald degradable yarns you can
(10:39):
give us natural yarns and so we have some fewer companies like Alpha who are producing a bit of
cutting I was sent some samples to experiment with recently 100% cutting made in Nigeria cutting
that can be spun into yarn for our young ones to work with but in in the interim I have companies
like Rowan Yance who sent me samples of premium and premium and amazing yarns for my learners and I
(11:02):
take a few balls to class do in my outreach center to some of the schools who I'd worked with in the
past to say yes you can actually work with a hundred percent wool yarn and it's an amazing
feeling when I skip when a child takes a ball of 100% wool and I say this yarn was gotten from a sheep
so as we keep evolving as we keep talking about this act and craft as we keep getting as many
(11:24):
people to work with their hands we are confident that in the future we have more companies more
factories who want to sell who want to invest in the markets will say yes we can produce luxury yarns
luxury organic yarns luxury natural yarns for these children to work with and for the future
generation okay so I'm already like in my mind packing a box for you I'm like is it hard to
(11:49):
send stuff to you can be pretty expensive well besides the cost is it hard to get things through
customs I know I've sent things to my son before and it took like I don't know like four months
or something like that to get there and it was like a big hassle and they lost the box and
I don't know it was like a lot of things happen is it hard to to mail things to you it's not hard so
(12:14):
Rowan Yan actually sent me some yarns um my two ladies knitting needles also sent me some of
return and fairly used um knitting and crochet pins they sent that to me and I also write in a
couple of articles and blogs as well so some of those magazines are sent to me in Nigeria
a bit of article contribution in uppercase magazine as well that have been sent to me so it's fine
(12:36):
and I also happen to come to the US too I was in the US in May so if I could come around you could
actually send these things to my hotel and I could bring them back myself so yeah because I know the
importing is is quite the big okay so I have another really burning question how did you learn and
tell me about that like how old were you when you picked up your first crochet needles and said
(13:00):
yeah that's pretty cool I can do this so I was actually seven when my classmates taught me how to
knit and they taught me with broomsticks so it was something we just did gatter stitch we never
learned how to cast off we never learned how to read patterns it was just broomsticks that I used
to learn how to knit when I was age seven and that was all I did about knitting fast forward to my
(13:21):
undergraduate days and I went to study textile technology and a friend of mine gifted me a knitting
thing and I was like oh I could go back to this craft it was something I love doing and that has
been it all through that time to this very time so when I started my business I was like if you
wake me up in my sleep and tell me a little bit need to crochet and I'll be do this thing why not let
me make a business out of something I really really like to do and that was how soon inspiration was
(13:45):
born it was born out of my passion for teaching and my passion for my love for young so it's a
business that combines my true love love for knitting I'm love for teaching and that's why I don't
ever get tired of teaching children you know I'm the same way so I'm trying to think about like
why you're why you're saying this it's like why am I not doing this why am I not teaching
(14:11):
children I don't I haven't tried to teach children really before you know I teach at the college level
and I love teaching it's I've written two books on it like it's my thing but really like I think
that this is a great opportunity for everybody to look in their communities and go what can I teach
kids you know like how so tell us about like that next step of how you decided to go from okay
(14:39):
I've got this great idea and now I'm going to really put it to use like do you go to schools
and do you tell them like I made an after school program and I'm going to teach because it doesn't
have to be just girls right like yes everywhere everywhere I find children it might be library
it might be book club it might be it might be orphanage homes it might be community centers
(15:02):
it might be schools anywhere I can find children and it was really really difficult at first and
it still is because in Nigeria our economy is struggling and a lot of people can't ask struggling
to afford the basics so very few people can actually say oh I want a knitting and crochet class
and so many times I have to teach for free provided somebody can actually buy the tool so
(15:25):
it's been very stressful but but as the world is going then the covid came and brought a bit of boom
as well into working with the hands a lot of people were indoor and they felt oh what could we do
and they decided to look at knitting and crochet and it's been like that so now is better than how
it was before because before I could go around 40 schools and nobody says hey I want to buy your
(15:46):
knitting classes so it has to do with a lot of my time I have to volunteer and after volunteering
and giving everyone a taste of what it means to learn how to knit and I'll begin to get a little
bit of request and then for my classes and I have a knitting book as well a knitting a busy book
which is in a couple of other libraries across the country not selling so well like that but
(16:07):
I have a few copies people buy here and there and thankfully I had the H&H award in May for the
Golden Seasons Award I was recipient for the Golden Seasons Award in the U.S. and that brought a bit
of light as well to the work I do and I'm also very active on social media as well so I keep
putting the word out there to say if you get your children working with their hands you are going to
(16:30):
help them improve their creativity and I must tell you sugar one of the most creative humans in the
world are children they are so damn creative because they don't have bills to pay they have more time to
think of course and you know I also know that when I was in sixth grade so I don't know how old I was
(16:50):
then like I don't know 10 or 11 in my art class and I had two sisters that were older than me and
one of them was really excellent in art and that art teacher was teaching me and she did not like
my art and did not go well in that class and after that I never did art again because she was so
(17:10):
ugly to me and I thought it wasn't until I got to college and I my first semester I had to take
a class in ceramics it was just an extra class and then halfway through the semester my my
professor said uh yeah you yeah you've ruined the budget for the whole class you're now up to
like 100 pieces and that's like shop my budget so slow down so I found like that all that pent-up art
(17:37):
that I hadn't been doing for you know all those years just exploded out of me and I never looked
back and I was instantly an artist so it has to be encouraging words to these kids even if you
don't like what they're doing it doesn't matter they their vision is not necessarily your vision
but you've got to be like kind to these kids that she could crush them like that was crushed so that's
(18:02):
why I'm so sympathetic to learn so it's important when I when I do train teachers as well teachers
who also want to teach children how to knit and I tell them you are actually you you have this
chance to mold this child you have an opportunity to to impact this child with the skill of knitting
you must take this job seriously and be mindful of your words so when a child makes an effort in
(18:25):
the knitting or crochet we do not compare children when they make an effort oh in two to three classes
this child can only make a chain inspire them this child can only crochet or make a chain and this
child can only knit some few stitches of data rows data rows on her knitting or knitting sticks
be be be full with commendation commendation is like watering flowers and when you constantly
(18:49):
water a flower it's going to bloom be very commendable and commend them and help them understand that
this is not a race and there's no assessment for this skill do your thing and do it at your will
and I've been able to have children who has bloomed over time and who have been absolutely well
and they maybe now help other to teach others did I see you on the American craft alliance
(19:16):
webinar or meeting round table this week is that what I met you
yes that's what you met me yeah yeah that's what I thought because those women those women
need to know your story those women does abby know your story like yes that should be that should be
a good deal all the extras so supply should go to you like I'm kind of shocked by that
(19:40):
yes abby is amazing I have a couple of articles on ab on the craft industrial alliance website
that I wrote and abby has been very supporting I actually that was it was true abby's platform
that I won the godness is this award and it's been very very encouraging I was in the US and I
met some awesome young company I met my two ladies needles in the US and they they sent
(20:01):
they are sending me at the moment I have one box to have gotten the remaining two boxes are on the way
of knitting pins and crochet pins and some bags for these children who cannot afford to buy them
so yes the what is out there I'm just saying on the next meeting next month the first Tuesday of
every month we have a round table I if you don't do it I'm going to speak up for you because it's
(20:25):
like hey does everybody know we have this great opportunity for all your extra yarn and if you
have any old needles or if you want to help some kids um there's a place and one of our members
needs to have needs to talk to you like this is like so eye-opening to me I am so proud of you
number one I'm so excited to learn about you because I can generously give to your your classes
(20:50):
like I can go to this local stores and buy knitting needles and you know use my coupons and my
whatever I have and you know get a box together I probably have wool around here I have so many
supplies that'll never be used if I don't like find a home for them and then I'm going to introduce
you to my friend who knits with wire in beads because that's kind of like blow your head open
(21:16):
it's like oh I see like she's got a different way of doing the exact same thing we're doing
but now she's taking it to this whole other level and maybe that's something you could reach out with
her because she's a friend and just go hey you know because if you just watched her um Instagram
like she does really good close-ups of over her shoulder of watching her on Instagram yeah I'll
(21:40):
send it to you I'll send it to you I don't want to mispronounce it because it is an African name and
I'm terrible with names I can tell you in two seconds that because she's on my whatsapp and let's
just make sure I don't I don't want to say her name wrong because that would be such an insult
I'm and I'm not great oh okay hold on Naomi that part I got it's uh Gakunga Naomi Gakunga she's
(22:07):
wonderful I'll send you the link but she is um yeah and you could learn really from her Instagram
because you already know what the what change she's changed it she's doing or whatever she's doing and
then oh it's with wire okay well wires and there's and then she does like found objects you know like
because she says to me I learned on my mother's knee this is how my mother you know spread this to
(22:34):
us so she's a she's a teacher too so you have a lot of people that want to support you I know
we just got to get the word out for you and uh help me if you if you were touching the lives of
of little children that are going to become artists one day we need to do everything we can to help
you like that's a whole different game I just I'm so happy that you were on that call and that you
(23:00):
met up with me today so that we could like get this little journey started like it's so good to
give back it's so good for our hearts over here to think about how we could help another artist
somewhere or multiple children uh to you know create something that they could sell now we know
that selling is the hardest part because I'm an artist and I make lots of stuff but selling is the
(23:25):
hardest part like to be an entrepreneur you have to be able to so many things you know like we have
social media we have to be able to take pictures we have to be able to make videos we have to be
able to have a website like there's like there's so much more than just oh I'm a creator it's like
I'm a creator but I gotta be able to sell this so how how is that process for you because is that
(23:50):
like the next level of teaching like it's like a whole other thing right now for children it's
most it's much more than the product it's also about the process what the process does for them
that when you are meeting with your two pins you are engaging the both part of your brain
the left and the both part of the brain and you are getting your brain to think
(24:10):
so what you're taking away from meeting is the will to think then also you're also learning
that things follow a process you start from casting on you get through the learning curve you learn
how to knit you learn how to cast off you learn how to read patterns you learn how to follow through
and that's the natural order of things so children learn that they learn creativity they also learn
(24:32):
finishing and they also learn how to appreciate the hard work of others so if a child spends a whole
term trying to knit or crochet teddy bear you won't have that child go to a museum and see the art
of others and want to re-unit because he or she would have thought if I can put this much hard
work into trying to make a small thing how much hard work this artist have put into trying to
(24:54):
put this masterpiece in the museum so children are taking away the beauty of hard work then
we are also having an age where most some children actually getting addicted to being on the internet
being addicted to their iPads being addicted to their phones being addicted to their electronics
so one way they can actually distress or deplog is by working with their hands and they're also
(25:18):
able to process their thoughts you know we have a couple of young people in Nigeria at the moment
who are so falling in love with crochet I have some of them who actually sign up for my class
so you find they are communicating and their hands are busy they are crocheting they're also
learning the beauty of community they're learning the beauty of communication and this is I am also
telling parents if your children sign up for knitting or crochet class you can sign up with them as
(25:41):
well and learn together parents can sign up in their spare time as well and learn with their
children and what better way when we have a skill that can help us get to the mind of our children
so it's not just about the products but also about the process very few times the school have like
an art exhibition an entrepreneurship fair where children can actually display their product and
(26:04):
parents can come in to pick it so that is also encouraged but the goal is more of what the skill
and the process of the skill than the product you know I love it that you're teaching them to
appreciate and their artists because that's really how you also learn I think that that's brilliant
like that really puts everything back together it's like it's not just about you it's not just
(26:28):
about your mother and your community and then it's about appreciating all different levels of art
that from the beginning to the museum quality so if you open that world like open up the world of
like the professionals to them so they can see so they can inspire to that so they can go oh I can
make something even better than that like that's where they probably really just blossom because
(26:53):
then they can really like see oh I'm doing this for a reason and mine it's not always gonna look
like this it's gonna get better and better and better because it is using both parts of your
brain and you know using those skills that's you know like I remember look you know how I learned
jewelry is that my grandmother taught me how to sew hand sewing she should have showed me a machine
(27:16):
it would have been a little bit better use for my time but I learned so then when it came time I had
to make something it's like my jewelry ended up I don't know if I have a piece around here but I
still do it today where it's like sewing it's like beads and wire and and wiring on beads to a piece
of wire I don't know if I have a piece here anywhere I'm gonna show you but that's really oh here
(27:40):
here's one it's a crown it's a picture of a crown I don't know if you can see it but that crown is all
just hand sewing like you know it's my grandmother showing me how to do embroidery that led me to
creating a bracelet which led me to I don't know if I have another one in here which led me to this
so it it does connect the dots all the way through you never know how it's gonna end up
(28:05):
you know could have been that I got really good in embroidery I still have the pair of shorts
there was a little pair of jean shorts I was knitting I did the back pockets that she sat there with
me and and we did together and I still have that because it was priceless to me like that was something
that that was something that just meant meant the world to me that I I know where those are
(28:29):
could never fit into a boot this big but you know you know it was a long time ago so but it does it
does come down to that where we have to be shown you know how how to do things and the earlier
the better the earlier the better so tell me about your typical day a typical day in the life of of
(28:51):
you how does it work my typical day actually starts with me brainstorming and thinking about the
children who I want to teach or who I have been teaching and who I want to go meet so I like surprises
so I'm always having extra yarns with me when I pack my bags I pack extra yarns and smaller balls
of yarn variegated yarns funny looking kind of yarns and I have them with me as I pack my back
(29:17):
to go to the school I want to teach not only that I also like wearing um modeling something
finished that I had knitted or crochet something different new and every time in the week so I
also like to wear that wear something finished as I pack my bag as well on my way to work and when
I get to work and it's time for my class I could just pop in I have them already bringing their
(29:39):
things and I also said to them I am not the only person who is coming with surprise you should
also surprise me as well so some of them hide their yes and they're like I'm so when they come and
they work so hard maybe somebody started a teddy bear in class and the teddy bear comes back and he
already has his hair the bunny already done an ice cream did you just make that and everybody's
(30:04):
like everybody wants to surprise me everybody wants to make me happy I want to make them happy as
well so it's a two-way thing I want to get to the I want to get them excited so that they don't get
tired of learning and they also want to get me excited as well and these days we are also infusing
technologies into our class we try to go to youtube and check who is going to inspire us in every
class so we have Jonah Lossin I'm sure you would have heard about him oh yeah yes so we have Jonah
(30:31):
Lossin's videos on youtube that we watch and a couple of young crocheters and it is across the world
who we also see then we have that tech time as well where we get to learn from interactive
board and watch videos to get us expired then I get to check everyone's progress individually
and that can be quite tough you know yes so yes every child is a different level of learning
(30:52):
some still do not know the skill for two to three weeks of class they are still struggling
so the the strategy I adopt in my class is moving from simple to complex so a child can remain in a
simple phase as simple as doing a pre-needing skill of working with the spool loom with the
nifting knitter for weeks provided that child can change color that child can stay on the tax that
(31:13):
child can complete a project that's fine by me and you see that there are other children who
boom you introduce them to knitting last week when they come back they already have a very long
scarf so what do we do we say this child is ready to to progress to the point of reaching a pattern
this child cannot be fed with a meal anymore we need to give you a solid solid solid meal so in a
(31:34):
class of 20 children every one of them is a different phase of learning and that can be quite
intense on the knitting teacher so it's exciting as well and before you know the class is already
over and they're here the bail and they're like oh we don't want to leave and I'm like no the class
is over it's time to go so we pack up making sure that everyone's item is back into their bag
(31:57):
ahead of the next teacher so when I'm done I have to go to another class or another school
it's very intense and it's very exciting yeah I know you give a lot of yourself I I I love your
ideas on teaching it's kind of inspiring me even to be even a little bit better because I don't get
to talk to other teachers so but what what you're saying is exactly right when I'm in a class
(32:20):
somebody might have been doing this all different times in their life and so everybody's at a
different level and that one-on-one is the key so and then not only that I also tell all the
students their adults but I say now these are your friends forever because y'all are having
the same experience together and afterwards I'm your friend forever you can always contact me
(32:42):
but you also have other people that you now know it's about creating a community too like I think
that that's probably really important for your students too is that now they have a new little
friend that they can have a shade with exactly and then also I also leverage on the community to
also teach so when we have the those who need to learn really fast I have them teach those who are
(33:07):
still coming up and the children are better teachers than myself so you at times you could have like
three or four children sign up for knitting or crocheting a class when you come back some months
later everyone in the class is knitting or crocheting. Doesn't it feel good? Exactly so I said to
I said to everyone if you want a skill to our flip generation you have to put it in the hands of
(33:30):
children and so I say you get you get it distributed free teach one learn and teach the others and so
so in a whole in a whole session we can have almost a lot of children who are crocheting they are
being taught by their classmates they are being taught by their friends and they have their
community and some even come and sign up for knitting and say my friend inspired me to come
(33:52):
and knit and my friend inspired me to come and crochet so I let my meters market the club
market my after club go bring your friends they're going to get a free ball of yarn go to them we're
having fun yeah and so it's a community of chit chat chit chat chit chat and it's amazing I mean
that that is I think that that's another reason that gets them excited it's like I'm gonna get to
(34:12):
go back and I'm gonna get to see all these new these friends like you know that's that's just as good
at our age as it is at any age like oh we want to go see our friends you know like have a little
social time have some learning and it makes you feel good that you know you're helping somebody
else to learn and you know all the different things that the teaching and learning all comes
(34:34):
together to really make it a great thing now let's talk about how people can help you do you have
like a a way that people can send you money is that the best like I just want to be your friend
so all right all right but I want to support you because all right now I do not have I do not all
right I do not take um money but I like sponsorship so I would have done Botswana next week but I
(34:59):
didn't get anyone to pay for my flights so you can just buy my flight ticket I could do this visa
you could buy my flight ticket and send me the ticket and I just go right away to the particular
country I want to go to so I have yarn I have some couple of knitting pins but I have no flight
ticket to go to Botswana so people can help me by donating a flight ticket to any country
(35:25):
african country that we spotlighted that's how what any organization can help me and they can
also help by sending me supplies or send to the country we have spotlighting ahead of us
this is send the supplies there so we just go use it to teach the children then you can also
spread the word you can spread the word as well and say oh Elizabeth from Tunis creation is doing
(35:45):
this because the the idea is actually cement I'm not for sizing no one has anything or everything
figured out all yet but it's a process and the more everyday girls the more we meet more children
the more the idea will get bigger and better so all I need are times may just be an email to tell me
oh this is how about you do it like this Elizabeth how about you do it like this Elizabeth so I need
(36:10):
a lot of people to support me I need a lot of people to to be by my side I need a lot of people to
make the announcement on my behalf and I need a lot of people to send me once I termize what I'm
going to be needing in a particular country I need people to help send us support as well
through sponsorship so that it can get done now when you came to the US in May where did you go
(36:32):
I was actually in the H and H America and I was in a hotel so my hotel bills was actually partly
paid by the the stippend from the Golden Seasons award and my two ladies knitting as they actually
helped me pay for my hotel for three days and that was just fine and so a couple of friends
actually did feed me and that was fun and I was able to return back to my home country Nigeria
(36:52):
so I termized the things I'm going to need and I have sponsors take care of that and that's just
fine now I've heard about H and H and of course I'm not a knitter so tell people about H and H
because it's coming up again is it twice a year I'm not sure no once a year I think there's H and H
Cologne in Germany and there's also H and H America H and H is an amazing program sugar it's a
(37:18):
crafters community of crafters those who are in the industry of crafting
showcasing their products in an amazing community of hand people who do handcraft come together
showcase their products what they have to the world and people come and get to meet them connect
and there's conversation and there's community so for the 2024 it happened in the Donald
(37:43):
Stevenson Center in Chicago May 1 to May 2nd and there were amazing keynote speeches there were
speakers from around the world who came in and they spoke about what was happening in their
community with crafting and guess what they talked about they said now is the time to move our
crafting to the hands of the younger generation now is the time they said now is the time because
(38:05):
it's like it's like you were there for a reason to hear that word that you're doing that exactly
thank you so much so they're like this is the time this is the time to move to move this craft to
the next generation and H and H they also showcase young crafters who are doing something extraordinary
so there was one young quitter who was an amazing work her work was on showcase at the H and H
(38:30):
America I can actually pick her names then we have needles yarn manufacturers from all over the world
from Mexico from China from Brazil they were there to exhibit their products they everyone had the
booth assigned to them and they were different quilting project they were different knitting
project they were different crochet product beautiful yarns amazing people all displaying
(38:53):
their products and their services for the world to see and it was beautiful I'm super excited about
10 in H and H24 2025 and guess what I was very plenty on taking videos that I brought back to
my children and I showed them on my YouTube and they're like wow this is amazing then I also got
the opportunity to speak to some next generation generations to them who came from a college
(39:16):
they were studying text and I said to them you could come one day to Africa and see our craft
industry and also come and check in Nigeria as well so there's community there's connection
and it's like a big place for for business those who are in the craft business to connect
and make great connection you should attend in 2025 it's amazing well is there any jewelry there
(39:39):
like I'm a jewelry girl like I can do any kind of art but that's like would I be like
so all kind of yes yes yes you could you could get a stand yes you doesn't have to be
textile or fiber craft as long as it is crafting as long as it's a craft business it's a well it's
like a marketplace for for craft businesses so you can have like a boot you can talk to
(40:00):
abby you can have like a boot and showcase your business to everyone in the world I make great
connection you could look at how can you use your jewelry as a jewelry owner how can you use your
jewelry to speak indigenous languages to other communities in Brazil and across the world so
there's great connections for you and there are a lot of other amazing things that you can do because
I know that your jewelry is going to speak there's a language your jewelry is speaking sugar yeah
(40:25):
sorry I was looking for this one piece and just reminded me like oh my god wait I have that ability
I don't see it here now it must be in another room but oh my god yes I do do this I just don't put
it all together sometimes it's like oh I feel like I'm such an outlier but yeah I'm gonna show you
(40:48):
I'm gonna show I'll find a photo of it and I did a book on it so I'll I don't see a picture
I don't see anything anyway I'm there okay so now I'm excited about H&H especially if I know you're
gonna be there because you should really be a speaker like we need to work on that to make
(41:08):
sure that you're really so that as many people as possible like I'm gonna make sure that I I'm
gonna write a little note to abby and say hey I talked to Elizabeth today and I was really inspired
by her story and you know blah blah blah so now I'm gonna be that I have been I invited into the
H&H 125 I am on I used to volunteer to be on the Planet Committee and I tell you it's an amazing
(41:30):
place to be amazing place so people do know about you okay so as we're like wrapping up this
let's talk about your Instagram okay Tunis creation that's my name on Instagram okay
and on your website also on Facebook as well Tunis creation also on Facebook as well Tunis
(41:54):
creation on Twitter Tunis creation on Instagram okay and you're gonna also email me uh because
I've got you've got my email address we'll figure that all out so that I make sure that I have that
in this so it'll be here so that we we talk about that and it's in the description so everybody
can always find you and anything else that you want to send me about how people can get a hold of
(42:17):
you sponsor you like anything that you want to send email me that we'll make sure that we include
this because people are gonna want this like and people are gonna want to copy your success because
you are a passionate person you are a gifted person you are somebody who really cares about
other people and I think we all need to be doing this so now you're inspiring me that's one you got
(42:41):
me inspired like not only just to help you but to also take it out to the world because that's
you know we can't just we can't just all be you but we can learn from you and take your experiences
and um is there any other like thing that you would say like oh this is the hardest part of
my journey I think the hardest part is probably just getting funds probably so that you can get
(43:05):
informed and take it farther yes I'm also getting the needle and yarn manufacturer notion manufacturer
to invest into the future which is young children now there was a young consumer survey that was
carried out and it was discovered that young people below the age of 18 use all their disposable
(43:27):
income to buy yarn and that is what I had seen first hand in my class so for this company's
producing crafting materials you do not need all the plenty stories for children once they know this
skill be confident they are going to come and have their appearance by your product so if the
companies take it upon themselves to invest into educating this younger generation that is when
(43:52):
we can say but that's when I can say I have been successful the work the work is huge only me
cannot do it I need the companies producing yarn knitting pins notions to get into educating the
younger generation because these ones are the ones who are going to be take these are the future
of all of our crafting the next generation is the future of their crafting and it's important
(44:15):
that we put these things in their hand and we teach them well I am so proud of you you started
off my day which I didn't know was going to go in this direction to get my heart excited to get me
have goosebumps when you're talking about it to make me think a little bit more about this topic
(44:36):
I really hadn't thought about which is teaching but teaching it you know in a new way so I'm excited
about that I'm excited about trying to help you and spread the word and now I'm excited about H&H
and hopefully meeting you there next year because you know I am part of that craft
alliance and you know it does matter to me and that's why I put my money there that's why I spend
(44:59):
time going on these round tables and being a part of the group and trying to spread my word
so you have made my day today I just want you to know that like I know you're on the
opposite side of the world so let's see is it early in the morning no what time is it there
this is 16 23 and that's it 23 minutes after 4 8am to the evening 16 23 p.m. okay so you're like
(45:27):
six hours ahead of me yes that's not worse yeah so that makes about sense so uh I hope that the
rest of your day goes as well as I'm gonna now have and uh I'm gonna be putting together something
for you and and talking to you about other people that I want you to meet and also going on Instagram
(45:49):
and seeing your story and sharing your story and all that so I've got your Instagram as well
yes what is it are you on Instagram yeah sure sugar gay is for everything is sugar gay is for
if you just pop it in it's all I'm I'm all one thing so you know because we're entrepreneurs
we get that that's important that people can find a CC I screenshot your face on my face and I'm
(46:15):
gonna put it on my social media oh yes yes yes yes yes yes do that too so that I don't know I don't
know well I'll I'll end the I'll end the recording and then we will stay on for a second more and
we will do that and I am really grateful to you like thank you so much for coming on to my show
(46:36):
and I look forward to spreading the word and we're gonna make this really fun it's gonna be a great
thank you funnier and I look forward to you coming to Africa Africa is beautiful Africa is beautiful
while my son is just keep saying well I've been there several times but um yeah I know it's just
(46:56):
it's just that long flight the US is very far very far okay for now I'm gonna end this recording
and we are going to uh we're gonna stop but stay on don't leave thank you so much Elizabeth it's
been really great hearing about your teaching and how your heart is so filled with joy on learning
(47:20):
the craft of handicraft really of knitting and crocheting and teaching other girls so they can
teach other girls too so you're a blessing and I'm so happy that we got to do this today
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