Shoe designer sets eyes beyond refugee camp horizon He has conquered the hearts of many fashion-lovers in this remote refugee settlement – meheba - situated in Solwezi, the north western province of Zambia. His clients include fellow refugees, humanitarian workers and Zambians living near the settlement. This is 44 year-old Kansonso Mutalita, a Congolese refugee designer specialized in leather materials, who has set his eyes to expand his shoe-designing business beyond the settlement. The immediate target Kansonso has set eyes on is the massive market created by the mines in the area - Lumwa, Kasanshi and now, Kalumbila. When visiting Kansonso’s stand, one would be forgiven for thinking they are in the Italian design city of Milan! Married with six children, Kansonso’s designing journey started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) when he was 20 years old. He learnt shoe designing from his late father, who passed on the skill within the family. Kansonso and the family fled to Zambia in 1999, and was based at Mwange Refugee camp in Zambia’s north, until 2010, when he was relocated to Meheba, following the closure of Mwange. The designer provides a wide range of products, such as shoes, belts, handbags and many leather products. The shoes are made from leader jackets, more like a recycling arrangement. “I sell to fellow refugees, former refugees, humanitarian worker and Zambians. People buy already made products or request for special designs, which I make for them,” explains Kansonso. He has since set-up a stand within the settlement, and has just opened another outlet outside, targeting the mining community and travelers on the Solwezi Mwinilunga road, a highway to the new mining town of Lumwana, which is about 15 kilometres from his new store. The shoe designer’s aim is to open other outlets in Solwezi, and eventually Lusaka. On average, a pair of shoes costs about US$30. Kansonso says while his products are popular in the settlement, the major challenge he faces is limited liquidity among the refugees. Furthermore, raw materials have to be sourced from very far from the meheba refugee settlement. UNHCR, through the Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health (MCDMCH) has embarked on a number of income generating activities for refugees and former refugees in Meheba and Mayukwayukwa refugee settlements. The refugees and former refugees are involved in a various IGAs, such as shoe-making, fish-farming, tailoring, recreation, soap-making, agriculture and food processing. UNHCR, through MCDMCH, has been providing micro credit to many refugees and former refugees to boost their IGA businesses. Kansonso is one of the refugees who have benefited from the micro-lending scheme that has helped to boost his business. Other than giving micro funding to eligible beneficiaries, UNHCR, through MCDMCH, also provides entreprenueship training and capacity building to these nascent entrepreneurs.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 14:02:31 +0000