Turn Crafts into Livelihoods in Botswana

This quarter marked strong progress in strengthening Botswana’s artisanal cooperative movement. Impact Fund supported artisans to complete three cooperative registration applications with Botswana’s Ministry of Entrepreneurship, with two more underway. The process includes developing constitutions and bylaws, business plans, and completing police, credit, and other clearances. Drawing on this experience, Impact Fund is developing a free online training module to help other artisan groups navigate cooperative formation.

In November 2025, basket weavers from Shakawe and Samochima in northwest Botswana graduated from a training series organised by Impact Fund in partnership with Diamond Trading Company Botswana, gaining practical skills in product development, quality improvement, and business readiness.

During the quarter, Impact Fund distributed laptops to cooperatives in all five participating villages and launched digital literacy workshops to help artisans track sales and inventory, strengthen their online presence, and identify new markets.

Also in November, Impact Fund facilitated two financial literacy workshops for artisans in northern Botswana, building on earlier sessions held in Samochima and Shakawe. The workshops focused on money management, informed financial decision-making, and long-term economic stability. Additional workshops are planned for Shorobe, D’kar, and Etsha 1 and 6 in early 2026.

In December, Impact Fund adapted its financial literacy curriculum into a free online module scheduled for launch in January 2026. The module will be offered in Setswana, with plans to expand into Hambukushu and Naro to better serve participating communities.

We are deeply grateful to our donors, whose generous support made this progress possible and continues to empower women artisans to build sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families.

Links:

• Keep up with the cooperatives on Facebook.