By Clemence Tashaya
SOME call her the Caprivian mother but some call her a revolutionary Conservationist for the Caprivi region. In Windhoek during the Park talk presentation in December last year, she received a resounding applause at the end of her presentation. She presented a paper or what is popularly known as Park Talk facilitated by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism on a monthly basis at the French Namibia Cultural Centre (FNCC).
Almost 150 followers of this Park Talk braved the chilly evening to listen to the challenges faced by women in the Caprivi region. Her conservationist presentation focused on how women faced challenges from elephants and other animals that destroy their plants especially maize fields to the impact of women and children living with the deadly HIV/AIDS disease in the region.
Janet Matota started in a rural set up as a home maker some 18 years ago to become a role model for all women in the Caprivi region. Apart from her presentation, she had championed the cause of natural resources management by sharing the Caprivi story in many of her invited local and international forums.
In an interview with the Caprivi Vision recently, she explained that her aim is to improve the lives of women and their children in community conservation areas. She is currently working as a co-head of the locally based conservation organization, the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) in Katima Mulilo.
She narrated her story as having started working in 1994 when she was recruited as a Community Resource Monitor. She explained that she was informed about the position by the local headman (induna) and she applied and got the job. By that same year, the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation were introducing some rural based activities in the Caprivi region after the war had destroyed everything in the region during the colonial era.
While it was only males who attended conservation meetings, it was also noted that females were the main users of these resources hence her decision to work for women empowerment in the region.
Establishment of Mashi Crafts
When she got the job, one of her achievements was establishing Mashi Crafts. While working with some conservationists and various organizations, Janet Matota began to educate some women about using resources sustainably. As a result, many women were employed and are now eking a better living. Projects in collecting palms leaves dyes for basketry were launched and many more women became employed. Previously women were getting income from brewing traditional beer in order to feed their families. With the establishment of Mashi Crafts these women are now selling baskets and other crafts made using natural resources sustainably.
So far almost 270 women are employed and supplying crafts to the market along with 36 men. Almost 2000 people are benefiting from Mashi crafts and are using the income to support their families in orphan care, pay school fees, and buy cattle and clinic fees for the sick.
“I have been encouraging women especially widows to take an active role in conservancy structures which are in abundance in the region. Women are more involved in many structures now in the region which previously used to be a male dominated area. We have the total and full support of the indunas and local chiefs,” she said.
She explained to the Caprivi Vision that women now constitute 37 percent of committees while two other conservancies have female managers and three conservancy game guards are women.
With regards to HIV/AIDS, Janet Matota initiated some projects which involve both women and men so as to combat the diseases. Because of her tireless work, the region is now aware of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and many now believe that the disease is savagely taking lives.
“We did not have an HIV/AIDS structure by that time. HIV/AIDS was a taboo in many villages in Caprivi but through basic information disseminated, people started to believe in our works. Initially, there was resistance but when skilled people started to die, they started to believe through the use of TV sets. HIV/AIDS committees were set and pamphlets in Lozi and English were disseminated and at least people now believe. Communities are now coming out revealing and disclosing their HIV status,” she narrated.
Janet Matota was born in Hwange, Zimbabwe in 1966. Her father used to work for the Wankie Colliery mine and when he retired in 1984, the whole family relocated back home to the Namibia’s Caprivi region. The Matota family stayed in Zimbabwe for 18 years.
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