Cement bags turn fashionable in Indonesian workshop

JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) - Cement sacks are hardly inspiring, but a group of Indonesian women are turning the bags into fashionable handbags and mats to help eke out a living.

Twice a week, 15 women from Penjaringan, north Jakarta, scour the construction sites in their slum for the paper sacks.

The women, most of them married to fisherman, rent a small house which they use as a workshop. They do not coat or paint the cement bags, giving the finished product an unusual look.

"One of our friends observed that cement sacks are made of strong materials. We produce various products from the bags, like placemats, handphone bags and lots more," said group coordinator Kasmawati, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.

The women get their inspiration from window-shopping at the capital's large malls, where their appearance often raises eyebrows, especially among security guards.

They sell their products at handicraft exhibitions or bazaars and prices range from 15,000 rupiah to 50,000 rupiah (about $2-$6). Thirty percent of profits are put aside as petty cash for the group and the other 70 percent is shared by members.

The women's husbands only earn about 800,000-1.5 million rupiah ($90-$180) a month and the extra income their wives bring goes a long way.

"We don't want to stay at home doing nothing and just gossip. We want to spend our time doing useful things," added Kasmawati.

Poverty is widespread in Indonesia, where, according to the World Bank, half the 220 million population lives on less than $2 a day.