Women use waste paper to earn a living

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Monday October 11, 2010 00:00

Making beads from waste paper such as magazines, newspapers, flyers and cardboard packaging, women in Selebi-Phikwe are penetrating international markets through a trust called Mothers for All.

Eurosport, in partnership with the US Soccer Foundation, last year ordered 900 bracelets from the organasation. Eurosport sent its catalogues to the Mothers for recycling into bracelets that were sold during a soccer tournament as a fundraiser.

This year the trust has already received double the orders it received last year.

The trust was established to help eradicate poverty by economically empowering through development activities in the HIV/AIDS and environmentally sustainable fields.

The fact that Selebi-Phikwe has a high prevalence rate and grapples with the high incidence rate means that many people are affected, hence the need to empower women who, in most cases, are caregivers to orphans and vulnerable children.

Mothers for All was established in 2008.It has groups in the villages of Sefhare, Semolale, Bobonong, Serowe, Maun, Mahalapye, Ghantsi, Palapye and Gumare, among others. Each group comprises six women who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The trust's mission is to ensure that no child is left alone and was primarily established to alleviate the challenges faced by people caring for orphans and vulnerable children. Each day, every woman in the trust goes from household to household collecting waste paper which is cut into slivers and formed into beautiful beads.

No machinery is used in doing this; the women just share skills and do everything on their own.

When an order comes, the coordinating office allocates it equitably among the groups. After selling, every woman will get her share of the proceeds.

The women make beads and bracelets of different sizes and shapes according to the customer specifications. The colour of the products is determined by the type of waste paper used.

When The Monitor visited the Mothers, they were busy putting finishing touches on the Eurosport order from Texas in the United States from which they expect to make P12, 000. The order has served as a moral booster motivating the women eager to see their products gain international recognition.

'We never go to sleep on an empty stomach,' says one. 'We keep the fire burning in our homes.'

Each week, the Mothers send products from their respective groups for labelling and packaging to make them ready for the market. When there are no orders, the Mothers continue working to be ready for future orders.

US Peace Corps volunteer, Mary McGee, says the market for the Mothers' products is good and has since doubled this year. McGee says every year, international sales increase and that they continue to receive orders from countries like US, Australia, Britain, Germany and New Zealand.

'We receive international orders every week,' she says. 'Locally, we supply Botswana Craft, among others.' The trust is working tirelessly to increase its markets both nationally and internationally. Through a website, the Mothers' international exposure is growing.

Mothers for All is still sourcing grants to conduct a workshop on Multiple Concurrent Partners for all mothers. They have also attended HIV/AIDS awareness workshops and plans are underway to engage them in a financial management workshop to help save for the future.

The trust is also working on establishing an educational fund for the mothers, orphans and vulnerable children so that they can improve their skills.

The organisation has dedicated trustees who give their services for free. However, the trust now wants to graduate from dependence on the trustees by 2012. It plans to achieve this through developing product diversification.

So far, 80 of the women have been trained in paper bead and jewellery making. By the end of 2009, the Mothers had around P200, 000 worth of paper bead products by 2009, raising the monthly income of every mother from P200 in the beginning to P800 a month.

In its quest to expand its market and raise the income potential and security for each mother's household, the trust intends to train women in permaculture, more arts and craft development, marketing, and HIV awareness campaigns and more.

Mothers for All has received a grant of P225, 000 from Barclays Bank of Botswana for a delta expansion project covering May 2009 to May 2010. The trust also received a grant of P20, 000 for office equipment from the Selebi-Phikwe Diversification Unit.