Where an old mud and thatch hut stored dusty crafts in dim light for almost two decades, a bright, attractive building now greets travellers on their way to Nkasa Lupala National Park in the southern reaches of the Zambezi Region.
The simple and cost-effective, yet innovative and attractive construction was designed and built by the legendary Trevor Nott.
The concept ensures that maintenance depends only on locally-sourced materials such as thatching grass and reed, while the skeleton structure of solid steel is likely to last for decades.
Sheshe Craft Centre is located in the Wuparo Conservancy, which lies between the Mudumu and Nkasa Lupala National Parks. The new craft centre has changed the first impression for tourists travelling through Sangwali on their way to Nkasa Lupala. What used to be a ramshackle craft outlet passed on the outskirts of the settlement has become an attractive first stop, offering clean flush toilets and wash basins, a picnic area under large shade trees, soft drinks from a solar powered fridge — and a wide range of exquisite crafts for sale.
The beautiful centre with its friendly management has become a welcoming sign for visitors to the area.
Sheshe Craft was first established in 1998 by the local community with support from Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC).
Until recently when tourism development began to open up the area, the number of visitors to Nkasa Lupala were low and consisted only of self-drive camping tourists. The craft outlet thus generated few benefits. Since being managed by the Wuparo Conservancy from 2005 onwards, sales began to slowly increase.
Through the assistance of the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-N), the ‘Sheshe Craft Centre’ has now been turned into an attractive and viable craft outlet, as well as an appealing first stop for visitors.
The development of the Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge (also with the support of MCA-N) has significantly increased tourism traffic to the area over the last three years. The Rupara Campsite and other tourism developments have provided further options for visitors.
The developments have breathed new life and enthusiasm into the craft producers of the region, who had become despondent about their supplementary vocation.
People now come from far and wide to deliver crafts for sale, and the core group of craft makers is full of renewed enthusiasm, crafting exciting new products and recruiting other producers.
More benefits were flowing to craft makers and their families during 2013 than ever since the beginning of Sheshe Craft in 1998. The craft outlet is improving the lives of numerous families by supplementing subsistence livelihoods with cash income.
And it is attracting other, often innovative enterprises - the Sheshe Bike Tour Project is a novel idea, hiring bicycles to visitors and locals alike. Visitors can go on leisurely guided village tours by bike, while locals run errands with the cycles. The right approach for the right place is a simple motto, but one that is not always followed during the implementation of rural development projects. Sheshe Craft is a prime example of the value of simplicity, local entrepreneurship and suitability that enables sustainability.
The simple and cost-effective, yet innovative and attractive construction was designed and built by the legendary Trevor Nott.
The concept ensures that maintenance depends only on locally-sourced materials such as thatching grass and reed, while the skeleton structure of solid steel is likely to last for decades.
Sheshe Craft Centre is located in the Wuparo Conservancy, which lies between the Mudumu and Nkasa Lupala National Parks. The new craft centre has changed the first impression for tourists travelling through Sangwali on their way to Nkasa Lupala. What used to be a ramshackle craft outlet passed on the outskirts of the settlement has become an attractive first stop, offering clean flush toilets and wash basins, a picnic area under large shade trees, soft drinks from a solar powered fridge — and a wide range of exquisite crafts for sale.
The beautiful centre with its friendly management has become a welcoming sign for visitors to the area.
Sheshe Craft was first established in 1998 by the local community with support from Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC).
Until recently when tourism development began to open up the area, the number of visitors to Nkasa Lupala were low and consisted only of self-drive camping tourists. The craft outlet thus generated few benefits. Since being managed by the Wuparo Conservancy from 2005 onwards, sales began to slowly increase.
Through the assistance of the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-N), the ‘Sheshe Craft Centre’ has now been turned into an attractive and viable craft outlet, as well as an appealing first stop for visitors.
The development of the Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge (also with the support of MCA-N) has significantly increased tourism traffic to the area over the last three years. The Rupara Campsite and other tourism developments have provided further options for visitors.
The developments have breathed new life and enthusiasm into the craft producers of the region, who had become despondent about their supplementary vocation.
People now come from far and wide to deliver crafts for sale, and the core group of craft makers is full of renewed enthusiasm, crafting exciting new products and recruiting other producers.
More benefits were flowing to craft makers and their families during 2013 than ever since the beginning of Sheshe Craft in 1998. The craft outlet is improving the lives of numerous families by supplementing subsistence livelihoods with cash income.
And it is attracting other, often innovative enterprises - the Sheshe Bike Tour Project is a novel idea, hiring bicycles to visitors and locals alike. Visitors can go on leisurely guided village tours by bike, while locals run errands with the cycles. The right approach for the right place is a simple motto, but one that is not always followed during the implementation of rural development projects. Sheshe Craft is a prime example of the value of simplicity, local entrepreneurship and suitability that enables sustainability.
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