Bagolu - Crochet with Meaning
A creative mission in Abene, Senegal, where women gradually learn to crochet, make bags, and build new opportunities.
Bagolu began with my love for colour, crochet, handmade work, and bags. Today, Bagolu is growing into a creative project in development, connected to Senegal.
With every bag, every crochet hook, and every contribution, we are building step by step towards a crochet school in Abene, where women get the opportunity to learn a craft and further develop their own creativity.
494 crochet hooks donated
Last updated: 27 July 2026
From Handmade Work to Opportunity
Bagolu is more than a collection of handmade bags. It is a place where creativity, connection, and meaning come together.
With Bagolu, we want to teach women in Abene, Senegal, how to crochet and guide them in making their own bags. Not only as a craft, but also as a foundation for independence, pride, and new possibilities.
We are starting step by step. With materials, guidance, practice, and above all: with real people who want to learn, grow, and create something beautiful with their hands.
Below, you can meet: Binta, Adama, and Isatou.
Our Mission
Our mission is to give women in Abene the opportunity to learn a creative craft that, over time, can help them make and sell their own products.
It is not only about crochet. It is about passing on knowledge, building self-confidence, learning to create quality work, and making space for personal initiative.
Bagolu wants to contribute to a future in which women can use their creativity as a source of strength, connection, and independence.
Why Abene?
Abene is a village in southern Senegal where my connection with Senegal has grown deeper and deeper. Through Sunrise Senegal, the journeys, the encounters, and the collaboration with local people, a desire arose to also give something back in a creative way.
Bagolu naturally connects with that. Crochet is practical, accessible, and creative. With the right guidance, women can learn to make beautiful, useful products that fit their own style, culture, and possibilities.
Yarn and crochet hooks are the basic materials for the Bagolu crochet mission, where women in Abene learn to crochet.
What Do We Want to Build?
We want to build a crochet school in Abene, step by step.
The first goals are:
collecting crochet materials, such as crochet hooks and yarn
guiding local women in the basics of crochet
teaching women how to make bags with attention to quality and finishing
training local guides — Binta, Adama, and Isatou — who can pass on the knowledge further
helping women think about sales, independence, and creating their own small source of income
This project is growing step by step. We begin with what is possible now and continue building from there.
How Can You Help?
The Bagolu Crochet School is growing rapidly, and the campaign continues. There are several ways you can support the project:
1. Buy a PDF crochet pattern
By purchasing a Bagolu PDF crochet pattern, you directly support the crochet school. For every pattern sold, €5 is donated to the project in Abéné.
2. Donate yarn and materials
Crochet hooks, yarn and other practical materials are still very welcome. In the overview above, you can see which crochet hook sizes are still most needed.
We are also looking for items such as:
measuring tapes
pins and yarn needles
fabric clips
tailor’s chalk
scissors
zippers for bags
cotton and other suitable yarn
Would you like to donate materials? Click HERE.
3. Travel with Sunrise Senegal
For every participant joining a Sunrise Senegal group journey or retreat, Sunrise Senegal donates €22 to the Bagolu Crochet School.
This means your journey contributes not only to connection and meaningful encounters, but also to creating new creative and economic opportunities for women in Abéné.
4. Support Bagolu financially
We want to continue developing the crochet school and are looking for a permanent location where the women can attend lessons, work together, and make and sell their products.
Financial contributions and sponsors are therefore very welcome. We already have a possible location in mind.
Would you, your company or your organisation like to support the further development of the Bagolu Crochet School? Please contact us. We would be happy to tell you more about the project and our plans.
PDF pattern €7.50
Or contact me via WhatsApp.
Would you like to donate a crochet hook, buy a Bagolu bag or PDF pattern, or support the crochet mission in another way? Use the WhatsApp button on this website and send me a message directly. I will respond personally.
Will You Join Us?
Progress of the Crochet Mission
On this page, we share step by step how the Bagolu crochet mission is growing. From the first materials to the first women learning to crochet, from the first lessons to the first handmade bags.
Update 1 – The First Step Has Been Taken
Bagolu has taken on a new direction. Alongside handmade bags and patterns, a crochet mission is now growing in Abene, Senegal.
The first women have shown interest in learning how to crochet. This means the project does not begin as a big plan on paper, but with real people, real hands, and a first desire to learn.
Update 2 – Collecting Materials
The next step is collecting crochet materials. Crochet hooks are especially welcome.
Do you still have a crochet hook at home that you no longer use? You can donate it to the Bagolu crochet mission. This way, your crochet hook gets a new life in Senegal.
Update 3 – Every Bag, Every Pattern Contributes
From every Bagolu bag or crochet pattern sold, €5 goes to the crochet mission in Abene. This way, every bag and pattern becomes not only a handmade product, but also a contribution to knowledge, creativity, and new possibilities.
Update 4 — The Women of Bagolu
The Bagolu crochet mission continues to grow, step by step.
Today, I would love to introduce you to the first three women who have been involved in this project from the very beginning in Abene, Senegal: Binta, Adama and Isatou. Above, you can see photos of the women who are part of the Bagolu mission.
They are the women who will not only learn how to crochet themselves, but who will also share this knowledge with other women in Abene and the surrounding area.
Three women.
Three stories.
Three pairs of hands.
And together, the beginning of a mission that is allowed to grow far beyond its first steps.
Binta will become an important force within the Bagolu crochet school. She is a mother and grandmother, worked at a school for many years, and teaching comes naturally to her. She will have a guiding and coordinating role and will be trained to support other women as well.
Adama is a young mother and is expecting her second child very soon. She is creative, eager to learn and already has experience with sewing. For her, crochet can become a new skill that allows her to create beautiful items, sell them and continue to grow.
And who knows… maybe soon we will also be able to welcome the very first Bagolu baby.
Isatou works a lot with her hands on the land. She grows corn, cassava and tomatoes. Now she also wants to develop her creative side further. Learning how to crochet, making her own bags and later passing this knowledge on to other women.
For me, this is exactly what Bagolu is about.
Sharing knowledge.
Strengthening women.
Passing on creativity.
And building new opportunities.
Bagolu is allowed to grow.
From Abene to the surrounding villages.
From Senegal to The Gambia.
From one crochet hook to a network of women who create, learn, sell and share their knowledge again.
From heart to hands.
From hands to opportunities.
Step by step, Bagolu is becoming more than a brand.
A mission.
A movement.
A name that connects women.
Do you still have crochet hooks at home that you no longer use?
They could start a beautiful new life in Senegal.
Update 5 — The first crochet hooks have arrived
The first crochet hooks for the Bagolu crochet mission have arrived.
Every donated crochet hook will soon get a new life in Abene, Senegal. In the hands of women who want to learn, create and later pass this knowledge on to others.
Did you know that €5 from every sold Bagolu bag or crochet pattern goes directly to the crochet mission? With your purchase, you directly contribute to materials, lessons and new opportunities for women in Senegal.
Would you like to contribute in another way?
Every donation is welcome and helps Bagolu grow further.
Sharing also helps.
By sharing the story of Bagolu, you help this mission continue to grow.
Bagolu may grow into a well-known name in Senegal and The Gambia.
Update 6 — Interview with Margriet.nl
Today, 9 July, I had the opportunity to talk about Bagolu, the crochet mission and my dream of establishing a crochet school in Abéné, Senegal.
Journalist Manon Sikkel-Daelmans from Margriet.nl visited me for an interview. It was a special moment, because it means the story of Bagolu can travel a little further.
The interview is now available online at Margriet.nl
I am grateful for this attention and for everyone who is helping to build Bagolu in their own way.
Mini update — 11 July 2026
Many emails have arrived, and crochet hooks and cotton yarn are now on their way. Next week, the counter will rise considerably. Thank you so much!
What wonderful enthusiasm and lovely responses. They make us very happy. More next week.
Update 7 — A special encounter in Scheveningen
Today, I personally collected materials for the Bagolu crochet school in Abéné. It became much more than simply receiving crochet hooks and yarn. We had a warm and enthusiastic conversation about our shared passion for crochet and about the special journey that brought me to Senegal.
She told me that she had once taken part in a crochet holiday in Europe. My immediate thought was: how wonderful would it be to organise something like that in Senegal?
A journey where enthusiastic crocheters can meet the women of Bagolu, crochet together, exchange ideas and techniques, and inspire one another. This creative woman had made the most beautiful things herself, from a crocheted lamp and lantern to her current project: a crocheted fly curtain.
And just like that, a new idea was born during one conversation.
Would you enjoy travelling to Senegal and crocheting together with the women? Let me know. Perhaps we can turn it into a beautiful and creative journey together.
From heart to hands. From hands to connection.
Update 8 – Official opening of Bagolu Crochet School
Today, 14 July, I received another beautiful large package filled with materials: cotton yarn, scissors and a case containing a wonderful collection of crochet hooks.
With this second large package, I can honestly say that it feels like the official opening of Bagolu Crochet School. The school may not yet have its own building, but step by step it is already being filled with everything we will need to teach the first women in Abéné how to crochet.
I feel incredibly happy and touched by the generosity of so many people. And even more packages are on their way this week!
As of today, the total stands at 42 donated crochet hooks.
At the top of this page, you can see exactly which crochet hook sizes we have already received and how many we have of each size.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who is helping to build Bagolu Crochet School. With every special contribution, the start comes one step closer.
Update 9 — The counter has reached 232 crochet hooks
What has happened over the past few days is more than I could ever have dreamed of. The campaign has gained incredible momentum in such a short time. We have received so many enthusiastic responses, heart-warming messages and wonderful donations. The counter has now reached an amazing 232 crochet hooks.
Today, my letterbox seemed to be overflowing. One package after another arrived, often accompanied by loving and enthusiastic messages about the project. It touches me deeply to see how many people care about the Bagolu Crochet School and want to contribute with so much thought and attention. It makes me incredibly happy.
And it does not stop with donations. I have already received invitations to give presentations about the Bagolu Crochet School. A visit to a residential care home is also being planned, where people would like to hear more about the crochet project in Senegal. It is very special to see how many people are becoming involved and are eager to contribute.
In Abéné, women are eager to start learning how to crochet. That is why the collection will continue. The materials will be used intensively, and in practice, some items may occasionally get lost or damaged.
From now on, we can collect a little more specifically. Crochet hooks in the sizes we currently have only a few of are especially welcome. Cotton yarn also remains essential for the lessons and the first projects.
Other practical materials for the crochet school are also very welcome, such as measuring tapes, pins, wonder clips or fabric clips, needles, scissors and other useful crochet, sewing and craft supplies.
Every crochet hook and every donated item contributes to creating a place where women can learn, create and later pass their knowledge on to others.
A very big THANK YOU to everyone who donates, shares, thinks along or supports Bagolu in any other way. Together, we continue to build.
Update 10 — A Special Encounter
On 17 July, I made my way to a location in The Hague. Once again, it turned into a very special encounter.
The lady I met had been touched by the story about the Bagolu Crochet School on Margriet.nl. Not only because of the initiative itself, but also because Senegal holds a place in her own past. This immediately created a sense of recognition and connection, and before long we found ourselves having a beautiful and personal conversation.
She has a great passion for crochet and creates the most beautiful items for both children and adults. She regularly sells her handmade creations at markets. During our conversation, ideas quickly emerged about how she might support the Bagolu Crochet School. She offered to help develop bag patterns that the women in Abéné could learn to make in the future.
How heartwarming it is when a donation grows into so much more: an encounter, an exchange of stories and perhaps even a wonderful collaboration for the future.
I went home with a bag full of cotton yarn and crochet hooks, but above all with a warm feeling.
What an encounter. What a beautiful day!
And the total now stands at 268 crochet hooks!
Update 11 — A Warm Welcome at Duinhage Care Centre
On Tuesday, 21 July 2026, I was invited to visit the knitting and crochet group at Duinhage Care Centre in The Hague. I received such a warm and heartfelt welcome.
A number of ladies were sitting together around the table, happily working on their handicrafts. After I was introduced, I told them about the Bagolu Crochet School and our plan to teach women in Senegal how to crochet, so that they can eventually make and sell their own bags.
The ladies listened with great interest and responded with so much enthusiasm. I had brought several Bagolu bags with me, and they were soon passed from hand to hand. They were carefully examined, touched and admired. One of the ladies became so enthusiastic that she said she would also like to crochet a bag herself. How wonderful is that?
Afterwards, I was presented with a large bag filled with materials. It contained an incredible number of crochet hooks, as well as beautiful crochet cotton and other useful supplies. And it did not stop there, because the ladies told me they would continue collecting materials for the Bagolu Crochet School.
It was a very special and heartwarming meeting, filled with enthusiasm, involvement and a shared love of handicrafts. We agreed to keep each other informed about the developments.
What continues to touch me deeply is how much connection this appeal for materials is creating. It is no longer only about crochet hooks, yarn and other supplies. I receive so many warm messages from people who truly care about this project. People wish us every success, want to continue following the story, ask to be kept informed and spontaneously think along about how they can contribute.
It truly feels like being embraced by one big warm community. As though more and more people are gathering around the Bagolu Crochet School and saying together: this initiative deserves to grow.
Every donation carries a story. Every meeting creates a new connection. And every enthusiastic response gives us renewed energy to continue.
A heartfelt thank you to all the ladies and staff at Duinhage Care Centre for the warm welcome, the wonderful contribution and their belief in this project. It is so special to experience how the Bagolu Crochet School is already bringing people together, here in the Netherlands and, soon, in Senegal.
Update 12 — Almost 500 crochet hooks and a new step forward
After another wonderful donation of crochet hooks and yarn on Juli 25 — this time right on the beach in Scheveningen, of all places — the total has now reached almost 500 donated crochet hooks. What an incredible number!
For now, we are therefore placing a temporary pause on crochet hook donations. We have more than enough to make the first lessons at the Bagolu Crochet School possible.
Other materials are still very welcome, such as:
yarn, measuring tapes, pins, fabric clips, darning needles, zips, scissors and other practical supplies that are needed during the lessons and for making the first bags.
Thanks to all the overwhelming donations, enthusiastic responses and heart-warming conversations, we are now able to take our next step: launching our GoFundMe campaign.
Over the past few weeks, several people have asked how they could support the project financially as well. From now on, voluntary contributions can be made through our GoFundMe page. In the campaign story, you can read more about our plans for the Bagolu Crochet School. Under Milestones, you can see exactly which steps we hope to take in the coming period.
I am incredibly grateful for all the materials, kind messages, spontaneous encounters here in the neighbourhood, and for everyone who wants to think along, help, share and spread the word.
I feel truly rich to have so many kind and involved people around me.
A big thank you! ❤️
Update 13
Where are we now, and what are the next steps?
After another wonderful and overwhelming weekend filled with many more parcels, we are now continuing to plan and organise the next steps.
Where are we now?
We have now received more than 500 crochet hooks!! Incredible, isn’t it?
Yarn is now being donated in abundance, and zips, scissors, darning needles, measuring tapes and other materials are also on their way. What an incredible flow of donations, enthusiasm and involvement. We can put it all to such good use!
We are also thinking about all kinds of practical matters. Yarn bowls would be extremely useful while crocheting, but how can we create them simply and at almost no cost?
My sister came up with a brilliant idea: making a yarn bowl from a plastic bottle!
Cut the bottle in half, remove a small section from the middle and then fit the two parts back together. The ball of yarn goes in the bottom, the thread runs through the bottle opening, and there you have it.
It couldn’t be simpler!
How will all the materials reach Abéné?
We are going to pack all the collected materials into banana boxes. Shipping costs approximately €9.50 per banana box.
The boxes will be shipped by boat to the port of Banjul and then transported to a collection point in The Gambia. Saikou will collect the packages there and take them by taxi to Abéné.
So all the donated crochet hooks, balls of yarn and other materials will make quite a journey before they finally arrive in Abéné.
Where will the school begin?
The Bagolu Crochet School really can simply begin beneath the orange tree. I will start there with three women. First, I will teach them the basics of crochet. After that, each woman can continue at her own pace.
We would then like to turn the first practice pieces into something that can already be sold. How wonderful would that be!
I already have some ideas, but all your suggestions are very welcome. What could we make from the first crocheted practice pieces. Please feel free to send me a DM or submit your idea through the contact form on the website.
In the meantime, Saikou and I will start looking for a location.
A place that will allow us to make a good start, preferably in the centre of Abéné. A place where many people pass by, where women can see that something is being created and where tourists can view and buy the first handmade items.
I founded this project and work on it voluntarily. Two people have now also offered to support the project, which makes me incredibly happy. Alongside all the donations, I am receiving so many enthusiastic and heartwarming messages from people who care deeply about Bagolu, want to follow the project and would like to stay informed. That is incredibly valuable too, and it gives me so much energy!
Bagolu was launched on 9 July. Today is 2 August. Less than a month later, this creative idea has grown beyond anything we could have imagined.
More than 500 crochet hooks, an abundance of yarn and other materials on their way, wonderful new connections, fresh ideas and now the next concrete steps towards the first lessons in Abéné.
We keep moving forward. Step by step.
Would you like to help us make these next steps possible?
You can make a voluntary contribution through GoFundMe:
Every contribution, large or small, helps us move forward.
You can also read more there about the project and the milestones we hope to achieve. €1,000 has already been donated. ❤️
My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has already donated, sent materials, shared ideas, offered help or is still planning to contribute. Whatever form it takes, every kind of support is valuable.
WILL YOU JOIN US?
And do you know someone who might become just as enthusiastic about this project? We would be very grateful if you shared this post. Together, we can reach more and more people who care deeply about Bagolu.