🌿✨ Rediscover “Bark Cloth Production in Uganda” ✨🌿
A few years ago we had the privilege of sharing a story that’s close to our hearts — the documentary “Bark Cloth Production in Uganda”, directed by @mrs.sengendo Doreen Namatovu. 📽️ This film takes you deep into a centuries-old craft where knowledge, skill, and culture come together around the making of bark cloth — a material rooted in history, community and sustainability.
From the harvesting of Mutuba tree bark to the meticulous pounding and beating that transforms it into cloth, this documentary celebrates not just an ancient technique, but the people who keep it alive — passing skills to younger generations with care and pride.
Bark cloth is more than a textile — it’s a living cultural heritage, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, cherished for both its traditional uses and its potential today in sustainable and creative practices.
If you haven’t seen it yet — or if it’s been a while — this is a moment to revisit and reflect on the beauty and resilience of this craft. 🌍❤️
🎥 Watch it again — https://youtu.be/U6jfB9SWRLU?si=xU7LkaCskIqLNLNd!
#BarkCloth #Documentary #CulturalHeritage #Uganda #sustainabletextiles
A few years ago we had the privilege of sharing a story that’s close to our hearts — the documentary “Bark Cloth Production in Uganda”, directed by @mrs.sengendo Doreen Namatovu. 📽️ This film takes you deep into a centuries-old craft where knowledge, skill, and culture come together around the making of bark cloth — a material rooted in history, community and sustainability.
From the harvesting of Mutuba tree bark to the meticulous pounding and beating that transforms it into cloth, this documentary celebrates not just an ancient technique, but the people who keep it alive — passing skills to younger generations with care and pride.
Bark cloth is more than a textile — it’s a living cultural heritage, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, cherished for both its traditional uses and its potential today in sustainable and creative practices.
If you haven’t seen it yet — or if it’s been a while — this is a moment to revisit and reflect on the beauty and resilience of this craft. 🌍❤️
🎥 Watch it again — https://youtu.be/U6jfB9SWRLU?si=xU7LkaCskIqLNLNd!
#BarkCloth #Documentary #CulturalHeritage #Uganda #sustainabletextiles
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect with gratitude and determination.
This year, CoCuDi continued to stand alongside communities and partners, strengthening resilience through shared knowledge, creativity, and long-term collaboration.
🌱 In Namutumba, Uganda, our agricultural and VSLA (Village Savings and Loan Associations) program continued to support women-led savings groups, sustainable farming practices, and community resilience—building everyday economic security from the ground up.
🎓 Through our Art Academies Exchange, we deepened the partnership between Israel and Uganda, preparing for the second Shenkar College visiting course with Makerere University—an ongoing dialogue between material research, design, and local knowledge.
🧵 Alongside this, we continued developing Pando, our international creative platform supporting women-led craft and cultural entrepreneurship. 2025 was a year of groundwork, learning, and redesign—laying strong foundations toward a hopeful launch in 2026.
Thank you to our partners, communities, students, and supporters for walking this path with us. We move into the coming year committed to dialogue, care, and shared growth.
✨ Onward to 2026.
#CoCuDi #CommunityResilience #VSLA #Namutumba #ArtAcademiesExchange #Pando #SharedGrowth
This year, CoCuDi continued to stand alongside communities and partners, strengthening resilience through shared knowledge, creativity, and long-term collaboration.
🌱 In Namutumba, Uganda, our agricultural and VSLA (Village Savings and Loan Associations) program continued to support women-led savings groups, sustainable farming practices, and community resilience—building everyday economic security from the ground up.
🎓 Through our Art Academies Exchange, we deepened the partnership between Israel and Uganda, preparing for the second Shenkar College visiting course with Makerere University—an ongoing dialogue between material research, design, and local knowledge.
🧵 Alongside this, we continued developing Pando, our international creative platform supporting women-led craft and cultural entrepreneurship. 2025 was a year of groundwork, learning, and redesign—laying strong foundations toward a hopeful launch in 2026.
Thank you to our partners, communities, students, and supporters for walking this path with us. We move into the coming year committed to dialogue, care, and shared growth.
✨ Onward to 2026.
#CoCuDi #CommunityResilience #VSLA #Namutumba #ArtAcademiesExchange #Pando #SharedGrowth
✨ VSLA Growth in Namutumba! 🌱
Following our recent update in May, the momentum keeps building. This week, two new groups — Kasodo A and Nabuli B — officially received their VSLA kits and have begun their journey together.
With these additions, the network of women-led savings groups in Namutumba continues to expand, creating more opportunities for financial independence, micro-business growth, and community resilience.
📍 Every new group means more women supporting one another, saving together, and building sustainable futures for their families and communities.
We are proud to celebrate this step forward and look forward to sharing more stories of resilience and leadership from Namutumba. 🌿
#VSLA #WomenLeadChange #Namutumba #CoCuDiCenter #CommunityResilience #SavingsPower #GrassrootsLeadership #UgandaVoices #WomensFinance #CoCuDiUpdates
Following our recent update in May, the momentum keeps building. This week, two new groups — Kasodo A and Nabuli B — officially received their VSLA kits and have begun their journey together.
With these additions, the network of women-led savings groups in Namutumba continues to expand, creating more opportunities for financial independence, micro-business growth, and community resilience.
📍 Every new group means more women supporting one another, saving together, and building sustainable futures for their families and communities.
We are proud to celebrate this step forward and look forward to sharing more stories of resilience and leadership from Namutumba. 🌿
#VSLA #WomenLeadChange #Namutumba #CoCuDiCenter #CommunityResilience #SavingsPower #GrassrootsLeadership #UgandaVoices #WomensFinance #CoCuDiUpdates
🌾 Harvest Joy in Namutumba! 🌶️🌽
It’s harvest season — and our fields are bursting with plentiful maize and, for the first time, a thriving chili crop!
The smiles say it all: this season marks a major success for the Namutumba Innovation Agriculture Program. 🔥🌽
Thanks to the dedication of local farmers and the expert guidance of our agronomic coordinator Muguya Nehemiah, this season’s harvest is abundant and transformative. 🌱
💪🏾 Farmers are gaining income, confidence, and new skills that will carry them into the next growing cycle stronger than ever.
Swipe through to meet two of our proud farmers - Namono Jenefer and Kamya Ali - standing tall in their fields with crops in hand and joy on their faces.
This is what agricultural resilience looks like. 🌍✨
#CoCuDiCenter #NamutumbaHarvest #InnovationInAgriculture #ChiliSuccess #MaizeSeason #RuralResilience #AgricultureUganda #FarmersFirst #FoodSecurity #SocialImpact #VSLA #GrowingTogether
It’s harvest season — and our fields are bursting with plentiful maize and, for the first time, a thriving chili crop!
The smiles say it all: this season marks a major success for the Namutumba Innovation Agriculture Program. 🔥🌽
Thanks to the dedication of local farmers and the expert guidance of our agronomic coordinator Muguya Nehemiah, this season’s harvest is abundant and transformative. 🌱
💪🏾 Farmers are gaining income, confidence, and new skills that will carry them into the next growing cycle stronger than ever.
Swipe through to meet two of our proud farmers - Namono Jenefer and Kamya Ali - standing tall in their fields with crops in hand and joy on their faces.
This is what agricultural resilience looks like. 🌍✨
#CoCuDiCenter #NamutumbaHarvest #InnovationInAgriculture #ChiliSuccess #MaizeSeason #RuralResilience #AgricultureUganda #FarmersFirst #FoodSecurity #SocialImpact #VSLA #GrowingTogether
The women-led VSLA groups in Namutumba continue to grow in strength and solidarity.
From weekly savings to launching micro-businesses, these groups are more than financial tools — they are engines of dignity and resilience.
Led by Mpiiya Scovia of the Busambaiza Women Saving Group, almost 500 women across 10 groups are thriving.
And now, we’re excited to announce the opening of 5 more groups!
📍 Today, dozens of women like Scovia are not only managing their own savings and loans — they’re supporting one another through every challenge, building something bigger than themselves.
We’re inspired by their leadership and proud to keep walking alongside them. 🌿
#VSLA #WomenLeadChange #Namutumba #CoCuDiCenter #CommunityResilience #SavingsPower #GrassrootsLeadership #UgandaVoices #WomensFinance
From weekly savings to launching micro-businesses, these groups are more than financial tools — they are engines of dignity and resilience.
Led by Mpiiya Scovia of the Busambaiza Women Saving Group, almost 500 women across 10 groups are thriving.
And now, we’re excited to announce the opening of 5 more groups!
📍 Today, dozens of women like Scovia are not only managing their own savings and loans — they’re supporting one another through every challenge, building something bigger than themselves.
We’re inspired by their leadership and proud to keep walking alongside them. 🌿
#VSLA #WomenLeadChange #Namutumba #CoCuDiCenter #CommunityResilience #SavingsPower #GrassrootsLeadership #UgandaVoices #WomensFinance
Looking back and reflecting on the last year, we find numerous highlights in our #BarkCloth and Indigenous #Crafts visiting course to #Uganda, where many of its moments have become beautiful sparks of connection, eye-level #Collaboration, and shared #Exploration. This autumn, we facilitated an intensive bark cloth course with Makerere University and Shenkar College and accompanied a group of Israeli #TextileDesign students to Uganda, where they met their exchange partners in person and encountered the diverse local craft and design scene.
This has been our first in-person student exchange in a while, and we were delighted to see not only the remarkable final presentations but also very valuable cross-cultural teamwork and innovative material research. Clearly, a special moment was the field trip to Masaka province, where the bark cloth #ProductionProcess came to life, and students observed its many stages, from tree planting to bark harvesting, boiling, meticulous hammering, and stretching. We thank our longstanding collaboration partners and the teams at Makerere University @makerere , Shenkar College @textile_shenkar , and Masaka Bark Cloth Center for these highlights, and wish you all a happy 2025! 🎆🎇✨
@african_studies_gallery
@shenkar_college
@michael.keidar @shirashoval @mrs.sengendo @dekel.tamar
This has been our first in-person student exchange in a while, and we were delighted to see not only the remarkable final presentations but also very valuable cross-cultural teamwork and innovative material research. Clearly, a special moment was the field trip to Masaka province, where the bark cloth #ProductionProcess came to life, and students observed its many stages, from tree planting to bark harvesting, boiling, meticulous hammering, and stretching. We thank our longstanding collaboration partners and the teams at Makerere University @makerere , Shenkar College @textile_shenkar , and Masaka Bark Cloth Center for these highlights, and wish you all a happy 2025! 🎆🎇✨
@african_studies_gallery
@shenkar_college
@michael.keidar @shirashoval @mrs.sengendo @dekel.tamar
