Problem Statement: Women in low-come communities in Ibadan, Oyo state need to be empowered with necessary skills in order to be financially independent.

Target Group: Women in low-income communities in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Proposed Solution: We are empowering women in low-income communities in Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria with the skills and knowledge needed to transform waste into beautiful, sustainable and eco-friendly fashion pieces. Specifically, we are training them on how to create fashionable and artistic items using waste materials such as plastics, old clothes, and fabric scraps. Additionally, we are also providing marketing training to help them promote and sell these products. Through these efforts, we aim to reduce pollution, promote a healthier environment, address climate change issues, and empower women in the community.

Hub Activities:

1. Organize workshops on transforming waste materials into fashionable and artistic pieces in designated communities.

2. Deliver training sessions to equip women with marketing skills and strategies for promoting and selling their upcycled products. This will include teaching them about branding, online marketing, and customer engagement.

3. Identify promising women entrepreneurs among the participants and offer them financial support through mini-grants to execute their business ideas in the waste-to-fashion industry.

4. Connect these women to mentors in the waste-to-fashion industry.

5. Partner with recycling and upcycling organizations.

6. Promote sustainable fashion practices to address climate change issues and encourage the adoption of eco-friendly alternatives in the fashion industry. This will involve showcasing the benefits of upcycled fashion and advocating for its integration into mainstream fashion culture.

Short & Long-Term Goals/Results:

Our short-term goal is to provide climate-friendly employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to women in low-income communities. We have already made significant progress by empowering 40 women in the Akingbile, Moniya Ibadan Community.

Our long-term goal is to achieve a sustained reduction in waste and unemployment among women in these communities, fostering a more environmentally conscious and economically empowered society.

Available Metrics:

So far, the hub has held a 7-hour training session with 40 women of Akingbile, Moniya community, training them on converting plastic and clothing waste to fashionable and artistic pieces, as well as the art of marketing the products. Among these women, 6 women were given mini-grants to support their eco-fashion business ideas.

The hub’s aim is to expand the training to another low-income community in Ibadan by the end of the year. 

Collaborators:

Waste Museum, Afrisca Creative Works, Derayo Vocational Limited