Under the Baobab Tree

Mission:

To help women micro entrepreneurs create green work spaces in their communities - work spaces where they can make green products, develop green micro businesses, and begin the process of transforming their communities. The green work spaces would be owned, managed, and developed by groups of women micro entrepreneurs themselves with support from countless Ubuntu at Work supporters and volunteers. Ubuntu at Work is collaborating with designers, techies, and professionals around the world to develop the Baobab initiative. (Do email us at info@ubuntuatwork.org if you'd like to join the Baobab team.) Check back soon for how the initiative is coming along. We'll be posting pictures and volunteer updates shortly.

Why "Baobab"?

Baobabs, totaling about a dozen species, are native to the hot dry savannas in Africa and Madagascar. They are also native to northern Australia. The baobab tree is believed to have found its way to India from the African continent. The baobab is highly regarded because all of its parts can be utilized in some capacity. In addition to being an important source of timber, the trunks are often hollowed out by people who use them for shelter, grain storage or as water reservoirs. Important products come from the bark of the tree, which contains a fiber that is used to make fishnets, cords, sacks and clothing. The bark can also be ground into a powder for flavoring food. The leaves of the baobab were traditionally used for leaven but are also used as a vegetable. Its fruits and seeds are also edible for humans and animals. The pulp of the fruit, when dried and mixed with water, makes a drink akin to lemonade. Other products such as soap, necklaces, glue, rubber, medicine and cloth can be produced from the various parts of the baobab tree.

In India the Baobab tree is commonly known as Kalpavriksha the wish-fulfilling divine tree. The Kalpavriksha is one of the five trees in Indra's paradise known to fulfil all desires, hence it is the wishing tree. It is believed to be under which various sages in ancient times have meditated. Baobab trees have also often served as meeting places for communities. Symbolically, the Kalpavriksha is the symbol of one's identity and its potential. The roots are the deeper spiritual dimensions and the trunk one's constitution. The branches, leaves and fruits represent our constitution, abilities and skills, actions and achievement.