Partner Article

Shared Interest spreads reach into Swaziland

AN INTERNATIONAL development charity in Newcastle has been awarded just over £500,000 to fund business skills training in one of Africa’s poorest countries.

Thanks to funding from Comic Relief, Shared Interest Foundation will begin 2011 working with businesses in Swaziland to increase their opportunities to earn a fair wage.

The group will work in collaboration with the Swaziland International Fair Trade Association (SWIFT) to provide training for over 130 Swazi handicraft businesses.

Swaziland has a population of less than a million people, yet it has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world.

With one in three people being inflicted with the disease, there has been a devastating effect on the nation’s small-scale economy. In recent years handicrafts have become a huge source of national income.

Shared Interest Foundation manager Andrea Wilkinson said: “It was after hearing about our work in Rwanda that a group of budding Swazi entrepreneurs approached us about rolling out something similar in Swaziland. They can see how it is training in areas such as fair trade awareness that will ultimately secure them a more sustainable future for their companies.”

It is estimated that over 3,000 people will benefit from Shared Interest Foundation’s business support program. Training will include elements such as business planning and marketing along with basic skills such as how to appropriately value products. The scheme will also involve a mentoring system which will see larger organisations supporting the development of smaller groups.

This latest project fits with Shared Interest Foundation’s goal of becoming the most respected provider of ethical business support to disadvantaged producers globally, particularly in the areas of business and financial management.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .