purses, said that it had recently been a dry season and this had made the fibres hard to get. When asked if buying in bulk reduced the price of materials, all women stated ‘not that much’, however they added that the fact they all made different products, and found it difficult to communicate and travel, was the main reason this hadn’t been investigated.
Sourcing of materials:
This varied between groups. In Komamboga and Mutundwe the whole group decided what materials to buy, and the chairperson was responsible for gathering money and buying the materials. In Namavundu, the chairperson, secretary and treasurer all went to buy crafts. This was mainly to minimise accusations of misplaced funds from other members if materials turned out to be more expensive than usual. In Lunguja all members bought crafts individually.
Fair Trade and networks: None of the women had heard of Fair Trade or NAWOU3. Some had heard about UWONET4 on the radio, but were unsure what it was exactly. After explaining Fair Trade in more detail, the women were very curious to find out about the cost and benefits of Fair Trade, as well as what products Fair Trade could help them sell. The KCK UK director was concerned this could cause unrealistic expectations among the women, and explained to them that the Fair Trade questions were purely for research purposes. Ideas for the future: When asked what one thing they would change about the groups, having access to markets was the underlying and most consistent answer, however many women also answered with reference to their groups overall aims: 3 4
National Association of Women’s Groups in Uganda Ugandan Women’s Network
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