Arts
and crafts sustain Basarwa San in the Kalahari The Kalahari
Region has been home to the San (sometimes referred to as the Basarwa
or Bushmen) for some 20,000 years. They traditionally live in small
family bands as hunters and gatherers in the harsh environment of
the Kalahari Desert. Unfortunately, over the past two centuries pressure
on land from other ethnic groups, farmers, mining companies and conservationists
has cut the San off from their traditional lands. Today the San live
in small groups scattered over different countries in Southern Africa.
They can be found as 'squatters' near the cities, as labourers settled
on farms or in Government designated settlements. Skillshare
International works in partnership with Gantsi Craft, a Non Government
Organisation (NGO) committed to improving the lives of San communities
by promoting and marketing crafts for the benefit of producers in
the remote settlements of the Ghanzi and Kalahari Districts. Gantsi
Craft is a member of the Kuru Family of Organisations, a consortium
of NGOs who share the common goal of empowering the San to take control
of their own destinies through a holistic process approach to development. Gantsi
Craft currently serves 15 settlements within the Ghanzi and Kalahari
Regions. Within each Gantsi Craft facilitates producer training workshops,
and assists the producers with quality, product development, marketing,
and logistics, enabling the San to sell the craft wholesale to retailers.
Craft development is not the only focus. Gantsi Craft utilises the
opportunity to engage with the participants, to educate and talk with
them about issues of concern, such as HIV/AIDS, gender issues, budgeting
and responsible use of income. By doing so, the San communities are
becoming empowered to take control of their own development and their
own lives. Skillshare
International helps bring cholera outbreak in Mozambique under control
Skillshare International's development worker, Dr Patrick Okinedo, is based at Mavalane Hospital in Maputo, and has been travelling to Inhaca Island to perform home visits, treat the water used by villagers and finalise the construction of a local cholera treatment centre. Dr Okinedo said: "The first case of cholera was registered on Inhaca Island in January and although there is now a decline in the number of cases, there is still a serious problem. All the water sources are severely infected and are not suitable for human consumption. The number of cases of malaria is also on the rise despite efforts to fumigate by the Red Cross. Sanitation is a major problem, villages do not have latrines, and they rely on the nearby bush to meet their basic human needs, this has a major impact on the spread of the disease." Mozambique is prone to epidemics of cholera. It is a highly contagious disease and can be passed on easily through contaminated drinking water, human waste and infected food. Cholera
usually peaks in February when Mozambique often suffers floods and
heavy rains, but there are warnings about premature optimism, the
rainfall is continuing and this, combined with, poor sanitation means
the situation may get worse before it gets better.
Football fundraiser in Lesotho As a Celtic supporter since childhood I enjoy watching and taking part in football, which is how I became affiliated with the Lesotho ladies football club formerly known as 'Khutsa', which in Sesotho means 'be quiet'. They have been playing for a number of years in kit borrowed from the male team. The ladies regularly play after the male team, which means that they have had to play in used kit on many occasions, not a pleasant experience given the heat in Lesotho. I had met some of the women at the national stadium playing for the women's national team (Mehalalitoe) after which they invited me along to watch them play again. I watched them on a number of occasions and was amazed at the love and dedication they have for the game. Many of them even play barefoot as they cannot afford boots. I started to watch on a regular basis and would help out with transport whenever I could. I had never been asked but I felt that I could do more to help them. This coincided with the management withdrawing support for the team, so we held a meeting and the decision was made to have a fundraising tournament to buy kit they could call their own. Many of Skillshare's development workers and some local Basotho businessmen and women made donations, raising nearly M2000.00 (£180). This is not enough to buy a full playing kit but it is hoped that by the end of April, which is when the new women's league starts, we will have enough to buy a full kit. As a Celtic supporter I wrote to the clubs official magazine in an attempt to get some publicity for the team. Glasgow Celtic are now going to donate some shirts for the team. The women are so delighted that they have voted to call themselves Maseru Celtic Ladies Football Club. Anyone wanting any further information on the team and its progress can contact John Murray on murrayceltic@yahoo.com 0.7%
Campaign We would like all supporters to send a real or virtual postcard to Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to ask him to commit 0.7% of GDI to the aid budget. Please
visit www.007campaign.org.uk
to find out more and to take action. Stop
AIDS Campaign Jubilee
Debt Campaign Thank
you for taking up the Enable Challenge! Supporters did a variety of things to raise funds, including cake baking, living off £1 a day for a month, holding an open-house event and donating in lieu of Christmas shopping! Please
call Victoria Edge-Baron, Supporter Development Officer, on 0116 257
6625, or email supporters@skillshare.org,
if you have an idea and would like to help us raise funds to support
our work. International
supporters association launched in Lesotho The event is only one of a range of activities that have taken place since the first supporters were recruited at an open day in September 2003. Supporters in Lesotho have already held a fund raising appeal to help build a Girl's and Women's dormitory at the Taung Training and Skills Centre. By providing a safe place for women to stay, they will develop better skills which will increase their employment prospects and improve their livelihoods. Supporters have also held a braai (barbeque) and family day. For further information about supporter activities in Lesotho please email supporters@skillshare.org Special
Study Module Success Many medical professionals, including Skillshare's returned development workers and health trainers, give their time to make this module possible and their knowledge and experience on health and development is invaluable to the course. The SSM also uses on-line mentors who are a unique resource for this module. Skillshare's current development workers and health trainers who are on hand to offer help and advice to students that relates to the work they do in Africa and India include Dr. Patric Okinedo in Mozambique, Sandra Whyles in Namibia, Jan Mayers in Tanzania and Ranjan Panda in India. This year 17 students were enrolled in the module. The evaluations show that students' understanding of development and its implications of health issues in India and Africa has grown and they have a better understanding of the contribution of NGOs and health trainers in developing countries. By becoming a guest speaker in the SSM, participating in the production of up-date resources, networking and identifying potential partners in the UK to expand the SSM to other universities you can help us to improve the awareness and understanding of development and health issues. If you want to know more about the SSM or are interested in getting involved, please contact Dr. Raúl Pardíñaz-Solís, Development Awareness Officer, on 0116 257 6629 or e-mail raul.pardinaz-solis@skillshare.org Skillshare
chosen as Charity of the Year by one of UK's top companies Tribal is fully committed to its social and community responsibilities and established the Tribal Group Foundation, a charitable arm of the company, to specialise in health and education across the globe. The public service background of many of Tribal's 1700 employees mean that the company has a tradition in social development, both in the UK and globally. Tribal's financial support will be drawn both from the company's own funds and also from the launch of a Give As You Earn (GAYE) scheme among employees. Any donations made by staff through GAYE will be matched by the company. Martin Cumella, chairman of the Tribal Group Foundation said: "We are pleased and proud to be involved with Skillshare International. The Tribal Group is involved in improving education and health services in the UK on a day to day basis. Our partnership with Skillshare gives us the opportunity to support worthwhile projects in these critical areas in some of the poorest parts of Africa and Asia." Tribal
prefers to focus on strategic partnerships rather then project funding
and found that Skillshare's priorities complemented its own. Skillshare
and Tribal will be working together to promote long term development,
and Tribal will also assist with raising funds to support Skillshare's
work across Africa and Asia. Skillshare
celebrates five years of technical and vocational training in Lesotho Elton
John Aids Foundation grants hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers It is estimated that at least 4 million people in India are currently living with HIV. These figures are rising rapidly and India is expected to be at the epicentre by 2020. The disease is having massive impact on the communities as its most active members are dying. Grandparents are taking primary responsibility for their grandchildren and child headed households are increasingly common. In India, HIV/AIDS care is still blocked by stigma and people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS face discrimination from health care providers, employers, the community and family, in addition to the affects of their illness. The Samraksha HIV-AIDS care continuum project seeks to address the problems encountered by people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS during the various stages of the disease. Samraksha works to prevent the transmission of the disease by arming people with the information so individuals can take responsibility to halt the spread of the epidemic. Samraksha's prevention work covers rural and urban areas in approximately 1,800 villages. In particular they reach out to the trucking community reaching about 22,000 truckers annually and 5,000 sex workers. The HIV prevention work is complimented by a reproductive and sexual health programme based in Bangalore city and six of the community towns. Samraksha helps to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS through its Counseling Care and Support Services which include outreach sites, outpatient clinics, two respite homes and community based home care support. It is
through this community work that Samraksha can support the community
to respond to both the spread of the disease and its impact on the
people.
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