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Socio-Economic Empowerment Through Technologies: The Case of Tapestry at Lentswe La Oodi Weavers in Botswana

Oitshepile MmaB Modise (University of Botswana, Botswana), Rebecca Lekoko (University of Botswana, Botswana), and Joyce Mmamaleka Thobega (University of Botswana, Botswana)
Copyright: © 2012 |Pages: 82
EISBN13: 9781466602199|DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-117-1.ch008
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Abstract

The chapter presents a case of a community development project known as Lentswe La Oodi Weavers in a rural village, Oodi, in the Kgatleng district of Botswana with a goal of socio-economic empowerment for women operating it and for the community. The project reinforces sentiments that technology work best for local communities if it is compatible with their ways of life. The women who started the project almost 30 years ago did not have any formal education and achieved their dignity in their own communities as women who are independent and have empowered themselves for better livelihoods and sustainable income, meager as it may be. They use their natural talent of weaving and boost their productivity through compatible ICTs such as spinning wheel, Bobbin wheel, and flat looms. Short training is done to strengthen these natural skills. Their products are bought internationally. Challenges include lack of skills for proper management. They live in the world of bookkeeping and book auditing and their project is susceptible to problems if it does not go through such procedures. Thus, these women skill-needs are mostly in areas of management, marketing, and selling their produce; all of these could be said to need formal training.
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