Supporting economic empowerment in Ghanzi District
The British High Commission is supporting Gantsi Craft to make economic opportunities available to minority communities like the San in remote areas of Botswana.
On 20 April, British Deputy High Commissioner Oliver Richards visited Ghanzi to meet with Gantsi Craft and to see first-hand the results of a project supported by the High Commission.
Gantsi Craft ran 2 workshops that reached 7 communities in the region, and successfully extended the benefits of Gantsi Craft’s work to new communities in places like Kaudwane. The workshops were also attended by representatives from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, helping to strengthen understanding between communities and government.
Deputy High Commissioner Oliver Richards said “I was impressed by the work of Gantsi Craft and it was great to see the impact that its programmes are having on communities. We are looking at how we can build on this.”
The visit also provided an opportunity to meet with other representatives both from government and from the San communities, to learn more about the specific challenges such communities face, and the efforts of various organisations including other members of the Kuru Family to address them.
Ghanzi, located in one of the more remote areas of Botswana, faces a number of challenges, including poor educational performance, high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates and limited economic opportunity.
In this context, the British High Commission welcomes the recent dialogue between government and communities and believes this provides a good basis for addressing the development needs of the local populations.