The Situation in Namibia
Namibia can be characterized simply as a country of two worlds. 10% of the country has a high standard of living. These are mostly ethnically white citizens. 20% of Namibia has an average standard of living.
Profitable business in the non-profit sector
People in Need started as a community center and a supervised workshop in Southern Namibia which employed people who were struggling with poverty and were victims of HIV/AIDS. Within one year the center, which had employed 12 people at the beginning, had grown to nearly 50 employees.
Ways we Sell these products
The first three years of the project were focused on the products and methods of production. After successfully implementing the production methods, the project moved into ways to market and promote sales for these products.
Visions for the Future
Opening a lucrative Fair Trade shop in the center of Prague, which would have high regular sales of our products, is the ultimate goal for the project. This project would be taken care of by one of the main non-profit organizations (i.e. People in Need), which would sell our products and possibly products from other charities and workshops. The shop project might fall under the auspices of the Forum for developing cooperation, of which People in Need is a member.
Origin of the Project
At the end of 2001, the Czech government allotted money for non-governmental organizations to help the developing nations of Africa. People in Need decided to take action in Namibia, which is one of Africa’s most developed countries but has the largest HIV/AIDS infected population.
