Social entrepreneurs help housewives transform corn husk into income-earning flower bouquets

 By Olivia Miwil - May 4, 2022 @ 12:07pm

Upcycled Shack founder Tressie Yap (fourth left) with local community during the latest flower arranging course using corn husk and natural dyes. Pic courtesy of Nina Othman.

KOTA MARUDU: Twenty housewives from here are earning lucrative incomes by selling flowers transformed from corn husks.

Farnis Millis, 39, the organiser for the community empowerment programme, said she came up to use the material when she stumbled upon stalls selling roasted corn.

"When I asked the traders what they did with the waste, they said they just burned it.

"After that I asked in a Whatsapp group, our Academy for Women Entrepreneurs leader Nina Othman googled information on the internet and shared images of handicrafts made from corn husks.

"When Puan Nina made the sharing on Facebook, Tressie Yap (founder of Upcycled Shack, which focuses on zero waste concept) commented that she had made flowers and earrings from corn husks before," she told the New Straits Times.

Farni and Yap, both are members of Sabah Social Entrepreneurs Association (SOSEA), who then organised a course making flowers, coasters and baskets at Kampung Tonsom hall here on March 19 and 20.

Those 20 participants came from Kg Tonsom, Kg Puka, Kg Muhibbah, Kg Mangaris 1 and 2, Kg Mangin from here and Kg Rokom in Kudat.

The event was sponsored by Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC) and supported by Rukun Tetangga Taman Rekreasi Sawit Simpang Tiga Puka.

"After the course, participants became more enthusiastic and experimented with colouring those husks using natural dye such as onion, turmeric, pandan and butterfly pea flowers.

"We have also made an additional flower arranging class on April 26 to enhance their skills," she said, adding participants could make one flower within 10 minutes.

Farnis said their work was noticed by a shop owner in Kota Kinabalu, whose business core is also based on the zero-waste concept.

"Starting from 300 stalks of flowers as bouquet samples for the shop, we are now getting up to 600 stalks of flowers and also orders as wedding banquets.

"The price of a bouquet is between RM100 and RM205. It can be bought at Kedai Okuri Zero Waste Shop in Kota Kinabalu."