22 Jan 2014

The Department of Gender Affairs has recapitalised the ailing Shorobe Basketry Cooperative with over P200 000.

The cooperative situated on the fringes of the Okavango Delta, in the small village of Shorobe, 30 km from Maun, faced a bleak future for some years due to financial constraints.

It was made up of 36 women and six men who were craftspeople, mostly weavers and carvers and used natural resources to make a living. They run a shop, which had a wonderful display of works, produced by the members of the cooperative. 

In an interview with the chairperson of the cooperative, Ms Ranolang Keorapetse said after re-opening in 2010, the cooperative struggled to operate due to lack of finances.

“We were running a business at loss as we stayed weeks, at times a month without bringing in money because of low market. We rely on tourists and it is unfortunate as they come seasonally”, she said.

She said the gender unit of the Department of Gender Affairs came to their rescue after they submitted a proposal for financial assistance towards construction of ablution facilities, weaving shelter in their plot, purchase of material and equipment and also to electrification of their curio shop.

Ms Keorapetse observed that their journey in search of success had been littered with challenges especially as the people who started the project had done so through volunteerism and lacked skills and knowledge of running a successful business.

She said patience, the unwavering spirit of hard work and determination to succeed by her group had kept them going.
That determination ensured the project took them out of poverty as they were able to support their families and send children to school with the money that they got from selling their products.

She said like all craftspeople of the area, the skill of weaving baskets and carving had been passed from generation to generation. “We have never been to training, it is a talent for some of us while others inherited the skill from their parents”, she noted.

She said the project which opened doors in 1996 was initially sponsored by International Conservation Union. Ms Keorapetse said then they were making profit as they targeted tourism operators and the tourists who passed through their village to the Safari camps in the delta.

She said they were also able to compete in national fairs in Gaborone adding that some organization like North West District Council through social workers were marketing their products outside the country. The project collapsed in 2008 because of poor finance management and lack of knowledge by the co-founders. Ms Keorapetse revealed that the cooperative was formed by people with passion but lacked basic management skills.

The project was re-opened in 2010 through the support of the village cooperative society and Okavango Research Institute (ORI). She said the cooperative assisted with a review of their constitution and also did inspection and the auditing of their books while ORI fenced their field along the river and also gave them P5000 to buy material.

This allowed the shop to get back on its feet, which is the situation the Department of Gender Affairs is finding it in. Ms Keorapetse said the Southern Africa Regional Environmental Program (SAREP) organised a workshop where five trainers from Etsha village in the Okavango Sub-district were engaged to train members with a view to equipping and empower them with the necessary skills.

The treasurer of the cooperative, Ms Akolang Monnaapula concurred with the chairperson that Shorobe Basket Cooperative has improved the livelihood of the members and the villagers. She said despite the challenges they faced, they continue to produce high quality baskets and other artifacts
She noted that since they partnered with the cooperative and ORI, the project had revived even though it is not making profits, hence the need for refinancing. ENDS