It’s now six months since the first project under the ‘Good for Namibia’ banner got going and this week I believe that we – Julia, Amory and our newest ‘Sew Good Namibia‘ member, Flora, (plus myself) – can finally say that we have become a pretty finely tuned production unit. We are now receiving regular orders from established clients who wish to gift our products to others, as well as generating further interest through appearances at markets in town.

While production levels are always going to be dictated by the availability of donated fabric, domestic demand will also affect and, eventually, limit sales – especially as we are gripped by the long recession still. The importance of making connections with the tourism market in order to expand our retail reach is becoming very clear.

We are therefore thrilled that Ms Meke Imbili of Xceptional Tourism Services is looking to feature the work of the project in her company’s ‘Katutura Interactive and Cultural Township Tours’. This will give the producers an opportunity to meet and greet potential clients in their home workshops in Otjomuise and allow tourists to purchase items directly, witnessing at first hand how the income will be valued and utilised. (Without being too cynical, it’s perfectly possible for unsuspecting visitors to spend a great deal of money in Namibia with only a tiny fraction actually going back into the local economy.)

Meke is just the sort of dynamic young Namibian who has the energy and skills to promote the inclusion of disadvantaged and marginalised communities in sustainable tourism. We look forwards to a productive and profitable working relationship in 2020! (2026 update: the Covid-19 pandemic, which started shortly after this was posted, of course put an end to this partnership, as did collaborations we had initiated to sell our products at guesthouses in Windhoek.)