ETHICAL PRACTICE AT SKILLSHARE

Skillshare International Botswana was having this program called the Botswana Rural Communities Livelihoods Project. The aim of the project was to improve the capacity of our partner organisations in their work with marginalised Basarwa San households in Western and North Western Botswana. We now needed to raise funds for the 800 Barsawa San working with our partner TXY (a local NGO) to fence off land that the local government recently granted to the San community. This land will provide a legacy of employment, income generation opportunities and sustainable food security.

As part of raising funds for this project we chose the selling of crafts.So before we could go ahead selling crafts a study was done in Regional Trade in Crafts and markets involving community based organizations collaborating Skillshare international in six Southern African countries , namely Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, south Africa and Swaziland.This was done as we wanted to be involved in an ethical craft trade practice.

The study was founded on the understanding that trade in crafts had a great potential as a stratergy for poverty alleviation, job creation , community empowerment, social transformation and could significantly contribute towards improved livelihoods and regional intergration.

With regard to pre-conditions of trade , the study indentified four conditions as pre-requisite for regional trade .So we looked at : a)Sustained craft production
b)existence of an enabling policy environment
c)adherence to the principles of fair trade
d) adequate access to markets.

After the study was complete Skillshare International Botswana and its partners in the countries i mentioned above started the craft trade. In Botswana we also held an event called the talents from the Kalahari which aimed at selling the crafts made by the the people from the kgalagadi District in Botswana.