From Sweetgrass Baskets to Neck Braces

AFRICA:  It is not easy to find a neck brace in the Tanzanian bush.  A neurosurgeon from the Medical University of South Carolina had a thought that maybe the village basket weavers could make them.  Dilan Ellagala came up with the idea after noticing similarities in baskets in Tanzania and the sweetgrass baskets made in the Lowcountry. One of his colleagues gave a woman named Emastela Yohani, 45, a foam neck brace; she spent a week making a prototype.  Doctors in the bush rarely have enough braces; the ones they get take weeks to order or are donated through various foreign aid groups.  Now, the braces can be produced in Haydom for less money and provide a source of income for the village.  The increased supply of home-grown neck braces also could help the hospital treat more patients.