Empowering Women Craft Business for Wellness

Mobile HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Women in Craft business

Background

Women in Swaziland are extremely vulnerable to HIV infection and unwanted pregnancies. According to the Swaziland Demographic and Health Survey among women, the HIV rate is 31 percent, compared with 20 percent among men; HIV prevalence peaks at 49 percent for women age 25-29; and 37% of pregnancies are unwanted.

While these statistics suggest an obvious need for HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for women in Swaziland, women face many social, logistical and financial barriers that limit their access to those services. Common barriers include gender inequality, stigma, peer pressure, lack of privacy and confidentiality, distance to clinics, client waiting times, lack of resources to pay for services, etc.

Issues of vulnerability and lack of access to services are exacerbated for women living in rural areas of Swaziland, where levels of education are generally lower – the median years of completed schooling for urban women is 7.8 years, whereas for women in rural areas it is only 4.7 years. In the rural areas there are also greater numbers of female-headed households – 52 percent of households in rural areas are headed by a woman compared to 39 percent in urban areas⁶.  Both education levels and household composition are correlated with higher levels of poverty, which in turn create greater barriers to accessing health services.

One entity in Swaziland has attempted to break the cycle of poverty for rural dwelling women. Gone Rural Pty Ltd. registered as a company in 1992 and has since become a model of socially responsible business practices. The core focus of the business is to provide home-based work for approximately 700 rural Swazi women at 13 sites throughout the country. Gone Rural has supplied over 1,000 retail outlets in 32 countries worldwide with its handmade products with an African image. Gone Rural embodies an understanding and respect of Swazi cultural heritage and tradition.