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Namibia: Craft Centre Boosts San's Health
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New Era (Windhoek)
6 May 2008
Posted to the web 6 May 2008
Wezi Tjaronda
Windhoek
The Skoonheid resettlement farm is now recording less sick people and more workers since a craft centre and clinic started a few years ago.
A retired doctor Dr Hélène de Kok started a clinic five years ago on the farm, having realised that diseases and other social problems had become rampant among the community.
De Kok said at that time that the community was characterized by idleness, apathy, immorality, theft and alcoholism while TB, HIV/AIDS, gastro-enteritis and malnutrition were rife.
"I started with many sick people and less workers. But now I have more workers than patients," de Kok told New Era last week during the launch of the Livelihood Support Programme (LISUP) on four resettlement farms in Omeheke and Khomas regions. The event was held on farm Skoonheid.
She said she started them out on crafts as they were waiting to be seen by the doctor.
The San Alive group started with three people and grew to more than 40 men and women that produce crafts from recycled waste and natural local materials. They use rosewood and yellow wood to make place mats, blinds, screens, woodcarvings, walking sticks, cattle-lick bags, purses, plastic bags for hats and shopping bags and roll-on balls for Christmas decorations.
They also produce bracelets and necklaces from ostrich eggs and porcupine quills and dresses, tracksuits and aprons from factory material off cuts.
De Kok said the project has made the San more active and has improved their health status.
LISUP has since end of last year gone into partnership with the Omba Arts Trust and Rössing Foundation to develop a handicraft component.
This will include training the community on new skills and new products for the market. Recently, Omba Trust held workshops with the Skoonheid community to develop products that can be marketed both abroad and locally.
Director of Omba Trust Karin le Roux said the trust was building up on what De Kok already started in the community.
"We are very happy with the stuff," she said, adding that the crafts would also be marketed at local lodges and at the craft centre.
At the moment, she said, they were still developing a range of products.
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Omba Trust has already trained communities at Drimiopsis and has also started training sessions at Donkerbos-Sonnelblom.
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