Aweko Faith describes herself as a ‘Ugandan Wastepreneur’ who grew up in one of the slum areas in the northern part of the country. “The slum had poor waste management: it affected our education, classes got canceled due to heavy rain, and houses often got flooded,” she says. Her mission since childhood was to fight plastic pollution, it is the cause of the flooding in her community.
Aweko is the founder of Reform Africa, a recycling brand that turns waste into wealth. Reform Africa was founded in September 2018 by Aweko Faith, Naluyima Shamim, and Mema Rachel and is a creative response to the waste management problems in and around Kampala. According to Reform Africa’s founders, plastic pollution in slums surrounding Kampala can build up to create blockages, causing flooding and health hazards. Upcycling plastics in Kampala mitigate waste, creates jobs, and combines the founders’ passions for art and the environment.
The three young ladies, upon joining Social Innovation Academy in Mpigi as scholars, quickly realized that they shared the same passion about art and saving the environment. This brought them together.
Aweko and her friends turned Kampala’s garbage problem into a solution-based business opportunity, transforming plastic waste into handbags, thus referring to herself as a ‘wastepreneur’. The unique and fashionable handbags retail for up to $50.
Aweko participated in the spring 2020 cohort of the Pursuit Incubator, Because International’s online business accelerator for entrepreneurs across the globe. She shared that for Reform Africa, the main challenge has been creating tangible goals. She said that “during the call with my [Pursuit Incubator] mentor, we realized that the solution [our product offers] is big.” Reform Africa’s innovative solutions to the waste problem would have a big impact—but this can become overwhelming when setting goals for right now. “We need to focus on selling our bags in order to maintain a cash flow.” With this focus in mind, Reform Africa will be able to expand their business to what Faith envisions as eventually “recycl[ing] over 50 tons of plastic daily and being able to employ 5,000 youths in different parts of the country.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reform Africa worked quickly to adjust to meet the needs of front-line workers. They partnered with Plastic Preneur to construct face shields that meet current health needs. Reflecting on her time in the Pursuit Incubator, Faith says that she was most profoundly impacted by hearing stories from Because International mentors about the process of designing The Shoe That Grows.
“I found it interesting because we faced a lot of challenges designing our bags and prototyping when we were still starting the company,” she recounts. “I learned patience and perseverance.”
Currently Aweko employs eight women who source the plastic and transform it into handbags that are sold locally and internationally. Aweko is a member of MOTIV Tribe, which works with creatives and makers in Africa empowering them to refine and scale their businesses to meet demand for local and international markets.
Aweko’s innovative mindset, determination and willingness to change her environment and better the living conditions of the world, while still making a profit from it makes her a one in a million force of nature. This definitely makes her the perfect candidate for Satisfashion Ug’s Woman Crush.
Source:
- https://becauseinternational.org/stories/faith-aweko-reform-africa
- https://www.reformafrica.org/our-story-landing-page
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2021-05-28-watch-the-ugandan-entrepreneur-turning-trash-into-handbags/
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