A group of women in Luderitz are not only making beads for a living but are also sharing valuable lessons in life to be resilient in all circumstances. The nbc news caught up with them and filed this story. Every day at 14h00, 7 women, 2 of whom are business owners and the rest are unemployed, gather to create beadwork inspired by the ocean that surrounds their town. They were selected through a community network, the Women in Business Association, and received craft skills they can use to earn an income. The training was conducted by the NIMPA+ Project, implemented through the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and funded by the Blue Action Fund (BAF). The training equipped the women with how to make bead and wire artwork. The NIMPA+ project aims to strengthen and diversify coastal livelihoods for communities living near the Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area. “They brought someone from Swakopmund to train us, and his name is Wellington; he owns a craft centre in Swakopmund. When we got there at the training, there were only beads and wires, and not one of us knew anything about craft,” says entrepreneur Nerina September. September says skills gained are more than just an income. “If you have a skill, no one can take it away from you; the world can come to an end, and you will still have that skill to help you to work for yourselves and make an extra income and not depend on someone to help you or depend on someone.” The youngest member of the group is Hilda Pohamba. “This group has taught me a lot of things, the life stories they share with me and what they went through, and we connect, and we definitely connect on different generations. We connect through music; we listen to music while we bead, and we share our life stories, and they taught me how to be resilient, how to be a lady, and how to communicate with elders in the times of Gen Z also.” For the 7 women, the beadwork project is the beginning of something bigger. They are now working on marine animal-themed keychains, sold to both locals and tourists.