PROJECTS: WOMEN
Crafthood
Crafthood
Crafthood is an independent initiative launched in 2015 by Travel for Impact with seed funding from Southern African Regional Environmental Program (SAREP). Crafthood is a centralized marketing and sales platform for weavers in throughout Ngamiland. Basket weaving is an intricate and delicate process that requires skill, dedication, and patient hands to prepare, entwine, and bind together palm fronds to make these beautiful crafts. Crafthood’s aim is to support weavers, through product development and quality control, in establishing independent livelihoods by using the age-old tradition of weaving, while at the same time, preserving Batswana’s rich culture and heritage.
The Need
Crafthood provides a platform and creates economic opportunities for women throughout Ngamiland. Although the country has made incredible strides to improve gender equality, women are generally placed at a disadvantage. According to a report done by UNICEF in 2011, they found that poverty and economic marginalization is prevalent among women and female-headed households. Women typically earn a significantly lower income when compared to their male counterparts. This initiative puts the power into women’s hands and gives them control of their own livelihoods. In addition to creating a centralized sales platform, Crafthood also actively promotes Botswana crafts on a global market, partnering with Arts for Africa.
Learn more about Crafthood here.
If you are interested in visiting these craft centres, check out The People’s Path, our map highlighting alternative tourism in Botswana!
Arts for Africa
Travel for Impact has made an invaluable partnership with Netherlands-based non-profit organization Arts for Africa. Arts for Africa represents and coordinates the Crafthood programme in Europe by forming partnerships with retailers, companies and organisations who wish to sell Botswana Baskets or support the Crafthood programme in other ways. For more information, visit Arts for Africa.
The Road to Shakawe
This weekend, the Travel for Impact team made the trek from Maun up to Shakawe. The team stopped in at Ngwao Boswa – Gumare, Ngamiland Basket Weavers Trust – Etsha, […]
Crafthood in Partnership with ‘Arts for Africa’
Arts for Africa, a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands, was established in 2015 with a mandate to work together for a better, greener, and more independent future though the […]
Moya: ‘I have a talent for weaving baskets, why should I let it go to waste?’
Crafthood, an initiative launched by Travel for Impact and SAREP, aims to promote Botswana’s beautiful handcrafted baskets, as well as the amazing women who create them. Moya Rata, from the […]