08 May 2014

Poverty eradication comes in many ways. For Florah Moaisi, a 48-year-old woman who never fled the nest because of poverty, the discovery of waste material could mean light at the end of the tunnel.

Moaisi, a resident of Sefhare in the Mahalapye Sub-district, is moving at a snail’s pace out of poverty. Her dream started in 2005 after visiting an art exhibition in Gaborone. The visit changed her life and that of her family.  At the exhibition, Moaisi met an exhibitor who was showcasing good-looking products made of mashed paper. 

She admired the products, talked to the exhibitor and took up the challenge to produce the same, especially that the exhibitor had love and patience to explain everything to her. Actually, the exhibitor told her about the excitement of working with materials that everyone else considered waste.

 She then started to collect newspapers and boxes to get into production. Some people liked her products. As a result, commercial production started in 2007.

She specialises in making bowls, dustbins, flower pots and decorating materials as well as earrings from used newspapers. She also needs glue, vanish and hooks for earrings to finish her products.

 “Currently my business still making less income but with the hope that I have, I know one day it will give me more than I expected,” she said.

 Unfortunately, Moaisi is still waiting for social workers to assess her business. She hopes that the assessment will open opportunities for her to stop depending on government philanthropy and leave her mother’s residence. Ends