13 Mar 2024

Women have been encouraged to work hard and be resolute in their dreams as they continue to be pillars of the nation.

Speaking at a donation of P20 000 to Chobe Women Arts and Craft Multipurpose Cooperatives on Tuesday (March 12), Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE)’s board chairperson, Ms Neo Mooki, said as an essential component in Botswana’s economy, they strived to continue making impactful contributions and ensure that communities felt their existence.

Ms Mooki said the donation was meant to close a financial gap that was caused by the disruptions caused by wild animals at the craft centre.

“I believe that when you empower a woman you empower a nation because many women head families and raise their children by working and creating with hands,” she said.

Chobe Women Arts and Craft Multipurpose Cooperatives, located in Kasane comprises 16 women from different villages in the Chobe area who made traditional weaved baskets, crafts and other accessories.

Ms Mooki thanked the women for using their God given talents to make a living from basket weaving.

For her part, the cooperatives chairperson, Ms Nanvula Sakasongo said the craft centre had been their backbone since it started in 2012.

Ms Sakasongo thanked BSE for the donation, which she said was an answer to their cry to make the shelter secure from any destructions caused by animals and extreme weather conditions.

She said the centre was regularly invaded by baboons which tampered with thatch grass as well as electricity cables and lights.

As such, she said, they suffered a drop in sales during a tourism anti peak season because international guests were their biggest clientele.

She added that they needed a strong steel fence that would prevent animals from entering the shelter.

Consequently, she thanked Birdlife Botswana for their support, having hired someone to thatch their shelter to provide shade for their crafts.

She also thanked the First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi, who she said had been influential in their business and donated robust display shelves for their crafts.

Ms Sakasongo said they were able to put food on the table from the income generated from selling crafts.

Kasane court president, Kgosi Thuso Wasetso, said Chobe Women Arts and Craft Multipurpose Cooperatives was an inspiration many women who were affected by adverse poverty because of lack of income.

Kgosi Wasetso said the cash injection would go a long way to close the financial gaps experienced by the women and cultivate growth. He also   thanked BSE for identifying a need in Kasane while they were on their ongoing staff retreat exercise.

“BSE plays a critical role in economic development and it was imperative for them to make this impactful donation and leave a legacy in Chobe,” he said.. Ends