Wilhelmina Iimene
A large part of the youth is using their time to hone their talents in order to make a living for themselves, and it is applaudable.
Following suit are Elrisha Roodlina Ochurus and Magreth /Nuru-khom, both 19-years-old young women, who co-founded carpentry company, Woodie’s Creation, in 2020 during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Woodie’s Creations specialises in custom-made wooden products, including toys, household items such as chopping boards and wooden spoons, and implements such as brushes. The brushes can be used for different purposes depending on the texture of the bristles. The harder bristles are used for cleaning animal hair off the clothes and body, and face scrubbing and exfoliating. The brushes with softer bristles can be used for dusting, cleaning vegetables and dusting off shoes.
An interesting fact is that the brush bristles are made from animal hair and vegetable fibre.
“We use bristles from pig, cattle, goat, horses, oryx hair and vegetable fibre,” said Ochurus said, a learner at Waldorf School Windhoek, which is an academic and practical school.
Ochurus, who aspires to study biology or marine biology when she is done with high school, told Youth Corner the pig, cattle hair, vegetable fibre (root) and lighter shades of horse hair are imported from a company in Germany that professionally cuts the animal bristles and vegetable fibre into finer texture suitable for making brushes.
“We receive the oryx hair from a local game farm close to Daan Viljoen game reserve,” said /Nuru-khom, who is completing three months of teaching practice at the same school.
Ochurus’ father cuts out all the products from raw wood while Ochurus and /Nuru-khom sand the products to create a smooth and finished neat look. The finishing touches such as oiling and putting labels on the products are sometimes done by the younger learners of the same school the two co-founders attend. The youngsters said their company is their side hustle, and they are not in it for the money as they enjoy what they do. Ochurus said their inspiration mostly come from their customers’ satisfaction.
“The way their faces light up when they see what we have done; that is what keeps us going,” she told Youth Corner.
“I am very passionate about my work and I enjoy every step; from the raw dusty work to the beautiful end result. I love working with my hands,” she further stated.
The two passionate young girls sell their products at the Bio-market in Klein Windhoek every Saturday morning. Some of their products can be found at Klein-Aus Vista Lodge and some other Gondwana lodges. They also have a workshop located at the Waldorf School Windhoek, where products are made. Most of their products are made on request.
Alternatively, they can be found on Instagram @woodies.creation or 081 696 8829.
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