June 6, 2024
News
Did you know that basket weaving is one of the oldest crafts in the world? You would probably not expect that even refugees in Zambia make a living by weaving baskets. In the Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement, located in Zambia's Western province, there is a team of women who have come together to make a business out of it. “My life was hard, but now it is changing for the better,” says Roza, a refugee in Zambia, after receiving support on her small business from Caritas Czech Republic.
Roza is now able to sell her baskets on international markets
The 50-year-old Roza Jamba is one of the basket makers in the Mayukwayukwa settlement in Zambia, which is home to more than 14,000 refugees. Roza fled here from Angola, where she has lived for most of her life. “Me and my family had to flee our home country in 2001 because of war,” explains Roza as she patiently works on one of her baskets on the outskirts of the Mayukwayukwa settlement. Together with her husband and their six children, the family found safe shelter in the settlement in Zambia where the family has lived since then.
For refugees in Zambia, it is difficult to build a new life after fleeing from their home country because of war, persecution or human rights violations. For most refugees in the Mayukwayukwa settlement, it is hard to make a living, as there are only a few opportunities and it is almost impossible to find a job. That is why Caritas Czech Republic and UNHCR support refugees to turn their ideas into an income, so they are able to provide for their families. Like Roza.
“I started to weave baskets already in 2017,” tells us Roza, surrounded by a group of other basket weavers from the settlement. However, before she joined the group, she sold her baskets only on local markets. In 2022, she became a part of the team of women, who all weave baskets together. After Roza joined the team, she received a training from Caritas Czech Republic on how to create baskets that could be sold on international markets. The training was only for two days but made a big difference for Roza's small business. “I appreciate the opportunity Caritas Czech Republic gave me. It helped me to learn more and now I can also sell my baskets in other countries,” Roza says happily.
Roza enjoys her occupation. “My favorite thing to make, like for most of us, are the big bowls,” Roza tells us with a smile. Besides the weaving itself, she is happy that she can make an income and provide for her big family.
The team of both refugees and local women regularly meet in the Mayukwayukwa settlement, weave baskets and spend time together. The baskets come in different shapes and colours. “The baskets are handmade from fiber and grass,” tells one of the basket weavers, showing us the finished product.
There are dozens of women sitting together, talking and making beautiful traditional baskets. After a while, they spontaneously start singing a song that echoes through the refugee settlement.
Caritas Czech Republic supports refugees in Zambia to start a business
For more than ten years, Caritas Czech Republic has been supporting people in Zambia. As it is especially difficult for refugees in the country to find jobs, Caritas Czech Republic and UNHCR have been supporting them to build up their own businesses. We support people with trainings to expand or learn a new skill to and establish themselves on the job market.
Thanks to our support, there is now for example a restaurant in the Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement or a or a refrigerator repair shop in the capital of Lusaka. We also provide scholarships to refugee students so that they can study at universities and fulfill their dreams.
Thank you to everyone who is helping us support people in need.
