Washington, DC — Women in Swaziland's rural areas, hard-hit by HIV/Aids, are responding to the family crisis through a private business that supplies 500 different outlets throughout the world with Swazi handcrafts.
In 1992, Jennifer Thorne started Gone Rural and as the years have gone by, the business has grown to employ more than 770 women.
Her business is now implementing several grassroots projects to assist women and children in their daily struggle against HIV/Aids, poverty and gender inequality. More than one-third of Swazis are HIV-positive and women have been hit disproportionately by the disease, according to UNAIDS.
Sibongile Maseko is a 50-year-old grandmother who quit school after finishing primary four. She is the primary breadwinner for her family, taking care of grandchildren left behind when her children died due to HIV/Aids.
“I am happy because I am able to feed my children and grandchildren, and also be able to pay my grandchildren’s school fees,” Maseko said.
She said she is grateful to use natural resources and her own creativity to earn a living. She said women should not let lack of education discourage them. “You can use your hands and handcraft skills to make money even if you’re not educated according to western education,” Maseko said.
She said that without the income from Gone Rural, she isn't sure how she would care for her family.
Managing Director Zoë Dean-Smith said Gone Rural is committed to educating, informing and empowering women by providing them with basic employment, Aids education, and HIV testing for people.
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”A window of opportunity is now opened for the women to help and be able to take care of themselves, their children, grandchildren and other extended family members,” she said.
Jabulile Dlamini, 51, said that if anything, she would like Gone Rural to increase the number of work days. Currently women make handcrafts just once a week, and “it is not enough for us,” she said.
“The money I make is too little to take care of myself, four grandchildren and other members of my family," Dlamini said. "I want more days to work and earn more money."
Women said the income gives them independence from men, in a country where they say the law does not treat them fairly.
Dlamini said the government should enact laws that protect women from sexual violence and give them more rights within the family.
“I want to see a law that makes men responsible anytime they get women pregnant," she said. "The law should make the man to marry the woman and take care of the child when he/she is born.”
In addition to the basic income and empowerment aspects of Gone Rural, Dean-Smith said there is another benefit to the business model.
"We are also keeping the tradition of handcraft skills alive for the future generations,” she said, though the company also develops new products for distribution and sale in foreign markets.
Fore more information about Gone Rural, see their web site.
