Mrs. Tebogo Keepetsoe, PR, Communications & Marketing Manager
BIHL Trust has increased its support for the women of New Xade in a project that began during the course of 2012.
The Trust’s work with the women sees an effort towards empowering a group of ladies through provision of sewing equipment, encouraging and facilitating the use of the equipment to promote entrepreneurship in the area. In addition, the Trust has shown further support for a local bakery project in a project launched in 2012.
New Xade is a small settlement in the Ghanzi District, about 180 km’s South of Ghanzi. In 2012, The BIHL Trust identified and donated sewing equipment to the value of P386, 000 to a group of women through the Ghanzi Council.
The ladies were identified as ideal beneficiaries because of their interest in and passion for sewing. Spearheaded by the BIHL Trust Chairperson, Dr. N.H Fidzani, BIHL Trust recently embarked on a trip with the primary objective of assessing the status of the project, and assisting in coming up with ways that will ensure that the project achieves the desired results.
Said Tebogo Keepetsoe, PR, Communications & Marketing Manager at BIHL Group and Administrator of the BIHL Trust, “The Trust has a firm belief in promoting and supporting sustainable CSI work, engaging projects and people that look towards a long-term change, and indeed in empowering themselves towards that change. This is one such project. The New Xade sewing group consists of 6 women who have received training and are the sole suppliers of uniform distributors in the New Xade area. Although they are limited to sewing girls’ uniform – pinafore dress, skirt and unisex shirts – the group wishes to diversify into sewing traditional leteisi outfits and boys’ trousers, bridesmaid and grooms outfits.”
Sharing the same complex as the sewing group is a bakery project which consists of 4 women and one gentleman who are all under 40 years of age. In 2012 BIHL Trust donated bakery equipment and facilitated a one day training course in Ghanzi where the recipients all received training on operating the equipment as well as making bread. “The group wishes to receive more training in making an assortment of breads in order to provide a variety of baked goods to the local community. Currently, they supply New Xade Primary School with bread once a week but hope that with the expansion of their skill base they will be able to cater for weddings, funerals, conferences and other occasions,” noted Keepetsoe.
