Phil and I
were invited to visit the Her Royal Highness The Queen Mother “Indlovukazi” to
tell her the fantastic news of E6 million funding that SWIFT (Swaziland Fair
Trade) has received. The funding was provided by Comic Relief in partnership
with Shared Interest for capacity building in the handcraft sector in
Swaziland.
The
Indlovukazi is very involved with rural development and holds women’s
empowerment dear to her heart. She has
started a number of successful businesses that empower women, one of her
successes being “Swazi Secrets” (available in the Gone Rural store).
The funding will be used to assist handcrafters in marketing, market access, product development and business skills. Swift
aims to reach at least 100 Swazi handcraft businesses in the first year through
training, and assistance registering formal companies. In following years these
firms will be assisted in reaching trade shows both in Southern Africa and
globally. The Queen Mother, Phil, and I cannot wait to see what the coming year
will hold for Swazi handcrafts!
