The Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Anselm Marungu, is assessing government-supported community tourism projects' progress and identifying sustainable ways to further support rural communities in Kavango West.
Among the projects visited is the Ikatauka Project in the Mbambi area, which consists of 12 women who started weaving baskets and clothes in 2006.
In 2012, the group received weaving training at Shavhura Village and benefited 50 thousand dollars as startup capital through the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in partnership with UN Tourism.
Despite the initial support, the continuity and long-term sustainability of the project could not be achieved due to various challenges.
Kalona Naingweje and Albertina Muranda are members of the Ikatauka Project.
"We used to sit here weaving baskets and clothes. The weaving machine stopped working, but we still have it. With the basket weaving training we learned a lot, but as we speak, those that went for the training are weaving the baskets in their houses and selling privately. We don't come to sell here anymore, as per the project agreement that the buyers should come to our market."
"Also, there is misunderstanding amongst us who are on this project, and people started losing interest. Also, the palm tree leaves we don't find easily, and the grass we use for the baskets we also don't get easily; we have to go to other villages or ask the people in Angola to sell it to us, and then we use it to weave our baskets."
The project is renowned for its traditional woven baskets that preserve local cultural heritage while providing a source of income.
The women are now in need of assistance to revamp their marketplace and to fix their sewing machines in order to diversify their products and attract more tourists.
"I believe the intentions were very good. It's just to uplift the livelihood of the people, and that is basically why we are here. We have listened to the challenges, and therefore we will be able to go back to the drawing board and make informed decisions with regard to how we are moving forward in terms of reviving the project so that our people can still be able to make a living out of this initiative," said Marungu.
He said community-based tourism is a key driver for rural development, poverty reduction and conservation, enabling communities to benefit directly from natural resources in their areas.