Hi everyone! On May 22nd, 2018, I will be flying to the Kingdom of eSwatini (previously known as Swaziland). I will be there for a 10-month placement with CAABWA’s (Canadian and African Business Women’s Alliance) partner organizations Trade + Impact and SWIFT (Swaziland Fair Trade). Trade + Impact is a non-profit global trade association that aids African and Middle Eastern women-led social enterprises, in the craft and natural cosmetics sector, to create an environment where their enterprises can grow and create impact in their communities and across the continent.
As part of my internship with Trade + Impact, I will support the establishment of the September 2018 Summit & Trade Expo in Nairobi, Kenya. The summit will be a space where women entrepreneurs across Africa and the Middle East can come together to support each other in the craft and natural cosmetic sector.
In the second half of my placement, I will be working with SWIFT, an organization that provides training, trade, and advocacy to promote local Fair-Trade business for the sustainable socio-economic empowerment of producers in eSwatini. I will be working as a Marketing and Communications Coordinator to support Trade + Impact initiatives and local marketing activities and assist in marketing and communications strategies with SWIFT.
While in eSwatini, I hope to research the empowerment of Swazi female sex workers during sex transaction and investigate some of the ways in which sex transactions occur. I hope that this may lead to a rights-based approach to HIV/AIDS interventions that promote both safe-sex practices and the well-being of sex workers in Swaziland.
I’m excited to begin working with organizations that do incredible work, learn from the people that I meet there and discover what eSwatini has to offer!