MADE51 - A new refugee artisan brand
Project: MADE51 - A new refugee artisan brand
Country: Malawi, East Africa
Partner: UNHCR
MADE51, standing for Market Access, Design and Empowerment for refugee artisans, is a brand that connects talented refugee artisans with international markets to help them sell their unique and authentic hand-made products. UNHCR is scaling up this initiative to create a sustainable business model by creating artisanal “hubs” within refugee populations, growing their capacity, and providing seed capital and access to both local and global customer bases. It provides a route through which refugees can supply high-quality and market-ready products to customers worldwide and generate income for themselves in return
The artisanal sector is now the second largest employer in the developing world and presents significant employment opportunities for refugees. MADE51 – implemented in nine countries by UNHCR, the UN Agency for Refugees – offers a potential lifeline to refugee artisans in several countries around the world.
Indego Africa & MADE51
Project Description
In the first phase, 50 refugee women will receive on-site vocational training in the handicraft technique of banana leaf weaving. They will work on developing samples designed by Indego’s creative team in coordination with MADE51. These products will be marketed through Indego’s current channel (current customer base and online shop) and will also be marketed through MADE51. Artisans will then start fulfilling purchase orders for products and will begin generating income as soon as they master the skills to produce woven banana leaf bags at the quality/level demanded for the international export market.
In the second phase, program participants will begin Indego’s Basic Business Training program: a 25-lesson course that covers business topics including organizational governance, bank account management, bookkeeping, quality control, budgeting, marketing, and technology use. BBT will be taught by Indego Africa’s Program Manager who has extensive experience teaching the curriculum to students from varying educational backgrounds.
