The Bengok Craft workshop is an alternative learning for students, families, and corporates in learning how to process water hyacinth into valuable crafts. Usually they come directly to Daringan Kesongo Culture after previously booking to participate in the Bengok Craft Workshop both privately and in groups.

However, this time it was different, a state-owned enterprise BULOG Semarang asked Bengok Craft to facilitate the staff in a water hyacinth craft making workshop.

Ani, an apprentice participant at Bengok Craft said on (02/11) that Astaria, Co-Founder of Bengok Craft received a phone call from the BULOG Semarang management who asked her to fill in the water hyacinth workshop at BULOG directly.

This is the first time the company has directly asked Astaria and her team to come because usually the participants come to the workshop area at Darungan Kesongo Culture.

However, for Astaria this doesn’t matter, she and her team of 6 people went to BULOG Semarang on 10 February 2022 to hold a workshop in person there.

The presence of Astaria and the team was warmly welcomed by the participants. Before starting the Bengok Craft Workshop, Astaria explained to the participants about the characteristics of water hyacinth and the procedure for making water hyacinth crafts.

She herself explained that there were several processes before water hyacinth turned into a craft. The first is harvesting, cleaning, drying, sorting, flaking (if needed), making it into handicrafts, and finishing before packaging.

However, in this workshop, Astaria and the team have brought dried water hyacinth, so that it can be immediately made into crafts.

In this workshop, participants were divided into groups to make two types of crafts, namely Slippers and Tissue Boxes.

In making the Slipper, Astaria and the team certainly brought pieces of rubber mat that had been adjusted to the size of the feet, so that the participants could stick the water hyacinth elements directly on it. The slippers created by BULOG staff varied, ranging from flip-flops, selop, and others.

As for the Tissue Box, Astaria and the team have determined the size and brought a sample of the tissue box, so that it can be directly imitated or modified by Workshop participants.

After creating it, the participants can bring their crafts to take home.

Training on making water hyacinth crafts through the Bengok Craft Workshop can certainly increase the creativity of the staff as well as add insight into optimizing water hyacinth which is considered a weed, into a valuable craft.

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