Project Two Mile
Named after 2 Mile, the most notorious squatter settlement in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Project Two Mile is an initiative with a singular purpose – to economically and purposefully uplift the lives of marginalised women by providing a global platform for their artwork and crafts.
Image courtesy of Project Two Mile. Image above: Model: Margret Lani Toga @maggslani. Photographer: Diego Lorenzo Jose @diegolorenzojose. Stylist and Creative Director: Peter Simon Phillips @petersimonphillips. Make-up: Nicole Thompson @pinkiieee. Hair: Stephanie Dell @stephaniedelll. Fashion: KitX @kitx
It started in 2020 with small steps but big hopes, with PNG native Maggie T Kera selling bilum bags made by a handful of weavers from the 2 Mile settlement, online via Etsy.
The core focus of Project Two Mile is providing the artisan weavers with the means for better access to health, education and help with their day-to-day needs. The rewards are multifaceted.
Image courtesy of Project Two Mile
After starting with a collective of 5 women, Project Two Mile now supports over 100 weavers and has an ongoing commitment to educate any woman who wants to learn this ancient craft and join the project to find a meaningful way to earn a living.
Image courtesy of Project Two Mile. Image above: Model: Margret Lani Toga @maggslani. Photographer: Diego Lorenzo Jose @diegolorenzojose. Stylist and Creative Director: Peter Simon Phillips @petersimonphillips. Make-up: Nicole Thompson @pinkiieee. Hair: Stephanie Dell @stephaniedelll. Fashion: KitX @kitx
It started in 2020 with small steps but big hopes, with PNG native Maggie T Kera selling bilum bags made by a handful of weavers from the 2 Mile settlement, online via Etsy.
The core focus of Project Two Mile is providing the artisan weavers with the means for better access to health, education and help with their day-to-day needs. The rewards are multifaceted.
Image courtesy of Project Two Mile
After starting with a collective of 5 women, Project Two Mile now supports over 100 weavers and has an ongoing commitment to educate any woman who wants to learn this ancient craft and join the project to find a meaningful way to earn a living.
Yarn is purchased and bought in Australia. It is then shipped to Port Moresby, where our lead person on the ground collects and dispatches the yarn to all the weavers.
To keep the process as simple as possible for the women, whose lives can be impossibly complicated and tenuous, the weavers get enough yarn to complete one bilum bag at a time. It takes up to 5 weeks to complete one bag.
Image courtesy of Project Two Mile
The vibrant colours, bold patterns, and captivating cultural heritage of the weaver’s work underpins their success, providing affordable and stylish home goods and accessories. Their iconic bilum bags are designed in a range of colours and patterns that will brighten any January day.
Find and more and follow Project Two Mile:
projecttwomile.com.au
@project.twomile