WHAT: Provide a workshop and retail space for an established women's basket-making company in Namibia.
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| WHY: For generations, women of North-Central Namibia have woven functional baskets with great talent and artistry. In a time of worldwide cultural exchange Namibians have found an opportunity to share their craft with the rest of their country and the world. As the country addresses rapid modernization, struggles to change gender roles, and the spread of HIV, the Oshikuku Basket Project was created to utilize traditional Namibian art to economically and socially empower women.
Since June 2006, more than 1600 baskets have been sold in Namibia and the USA, for which 38 artisans have been paid. This has been done without donor funding or craft consultants. Artisans have improved the quality of their products through collaboration and encouragement from each other, and have proven their baskets can compete on domestic and international levels.
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HOW: This project will provide a workshop and retail store to the artisans, thus improving marketing ability and increasing sales. This will lead to an increase in the number of women participating while balancing quality control. The Oshikuku Village Council will donate land and the workshop will be built out of a 20 ft shipping container that will be transported from the country’s capital.
After this workshop is in place, the group will seek funding for equipment and entrepreneurial skills management trainings to ensure financial sustainability in the future.
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| RESULTS:
The
Oshikuku Basket Shop, one of The Abundance Fund's first four projects,
officially opened its doors on Saturday, October 23, 2010. Thanks to your
support, the women artisans were able to purchase a permanent structure
in which to work, store their goods, and sell their products. The 56
women of the Oshikuku Basket Shop will now be better able to support
their families, many of whom have been devastated by HIV/AIDS.
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No more rent means more revenue
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The
opening of the permanent store is a tremendous milestone, years in the
making, for the group to have their own place of business. For almost a
year they have been paying rent to use part of another store's space,
and prior to that, baskets were kept in a room at a local community
library with permission from a local non-governmental organization. In
both situations, baskets were simply being stored, and meetings were
held outside under trees. Additionally, they were subject to the hours
kept by the store and NGO; if customers requested baskets outside of
this timeframe, it was nearly impossible to arrange.
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Dignitaries attend the opening ceremony
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A
formal ceremony was held with the Oshikuku mayor, constituency
councillor, and many community members. The mayor performed the ribbon
cutting ceremony. Many artisans were able to attend the opening
ceremony, singing traditional songs in their traditional celebratory
wear.
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Basket sales contribute to new high school gym
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At
the opening, community members were invited to speak, and one World
Teach Volunteer shared with the artisans that the secondary school
sports court was constructed, in part, from a fundraiser generated by
baskets, a fact that many of the participants did not realize. Managers
and artisans proudly displaying baskets at the opening and even made
some sales after ceremony came to a close.
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New shop a sales motivator
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The
new shop has motivated the women to think of new ways to sell more
baskets now that they have their own physical shop and can attract more
foot traffic while also increasing their sales to stores in tourist
markets.
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