Food Aid for Fair Trade artisans in Swaziland

This short paper was prepared by Julie Nixon, Co-ordinator at SWIFT on 22 April 2020. It outlines the likely impact of Coronavirus upon an already financially and socially stretched community. She asks for our help and support to get through the crisis:

“Swaziland Fair Trade (SWIFT) is a regional network working towards sustainably improving the socio-economic position of producers and communities in Southern Africa through providing 1) training 2) trade linkages, and 3) advocacy of fair trade.

Our network has eighty four members involved in the handmade sector including home decor, basketry, sauces, jams and honey. We have two members who are in the tourism industry, one conducting tours to Eswatini and the other is a hotel. Collectively we have over three thousand people within the network

SWIFT has a proven track record of delivering and monitoring training programs with both members as well as non-members, inside and outside of Eswatini. One of successes was completion a 5 year project funded by Comic Relief UK, demonstrating results such as 109% sales increase for independent artisans; 35 new businesses registered; more than 1000 jobs created and an average increase for producers of 37%. Partnered with market access and wellness programs, SWIFT provides a holistic solution to building sustainable businesses for poverty reduction.

With the Covid 19 pandemic the SWIFT membership has seen sales reduced to zero. Sixty percent of sales are tourist driven which has now ceased to be. The balance of sales come through export orders and with stores closed worldwide orders have been cancelled or are on hold. South Africa has also closed its borders to non-essential freight, so the three members that have orders cannot export.

The need is great. With over two thousand rural artisans who support on average 6 dependents now finding themselves without income and no social support whatsoever, there is a very real threat of starvation in Eswatini. Seventy four percent of the population live in rural areas and most have no access to clean water. In the past five years we have had two severe droughts from which the region of Shiselweni has yet to recover. This same sector live on less than two pounds (GBP) per day.

If you couple the poverty levels with the HIV and Tuberculosis levels in the country you can see that this is a disaster waiting to happen. Our country has only two ventilators but thanks to the government of Taiwan we now have 13 however this is against a population of one point three million.

As a Fair Trade network, our members have put in place employment mitigation measures to ensure that their staff can still earn income. All have given their staff annual leave (15 Days) for March and April, will pay their teams 30% salaries for May and June. After that, the only avenue open is to lay off staff for two months without pay.

Annual sales for our network are on average two million GBP with wages and producer income at just over one million GBP. In 2020 there is the very real possibility that no further sales or wage payment may take place.

Profit margins are low in the handmade sector between five and twelve percent. People do not go into this sector to become rich, they go into this sector because they are either creative or wish to empower rural people economically.

Short term needs include employment retention assistance. A fund to pay 30% of the monthly salary bills to keep people employed and earning. Another short tem need is a fund to assist us to get much needed food parcels out to the rural people. Our plan is to use the mobile phone application to send ten pounds to each of the two thousand rural producers each month for three months to keep people from starving.

Any support at this time would be of immense help, the need is great and we would sincerely appreciate any assistance at all.”

Yours Faithfully