It is official ! Techfugees Nigeria and The Skilled Women Initiative (TSWINI) are partnering to upskill displaced craftswomen across IDP camps in Nigeria with ICT skills for sustainable e-commerce income generating opportunities.
TSWINI, an Abuja based non-profit organization providing hands-on vocational skill training to refugees and displaced persons, has trained over 1000 forcibly displaced women in entrepreneurial skills such as tailoring, weaving, leather works, production of household care products and other handicrafts showcased on its online store under the brand Kwando.
In a pandemic-stricken world, accessing digital skills for women willing to create online shops parallel to their physical ones is paramount. The partnership between Techfugees Nigeria and TSWINI is imperative to achieve their common interest of using tech and innovation to think of solutions enabling income-generating opportunities and financial independence of IDPs in Nigeria.
FOSTERING INDEPENDENCE THROUGH DIGITAL TRAINING FOR IDP CRAFT MAKERS:
Sometimes, e-commerce is misconceptualized or considered as a magic bullet. E-commerce is not only about building a website and updating pictures of products. It is about client segmentation, digital marketing, logistics (…). Many craft makers and organizations before them have tried, some succeeded (like Made51 backed by the UNHCR at a global level, Anqua Collective in the UK, Kwando in Nigeria or KimuliFashionability in Uganda) but some also failed. With Techfugees, we aim at sharing what worked and what didn’t, to enable those Nigerian artisans not to waste time nor start from scratch.
Interested alumni of TSWINI vocational program will participate in e-commerce training organized by Techfugees between April and September 2022 to equip the IDP craftswomen with entry level digital marketing and e-commerce skills. Through our collaboration, we also aim at facilitating the procurement of digital devices such as mobile phones for alumni outside the camps to enable financial independence and professional autonomy of IDP craftswomen in Nigeria.
Techfugees Nigeria e-commerce platform DisplacedMarket.com will be the converging place to promote not only products but also stories of IDP artisans, from TWSINI and other vocational training centers and art makers in the country. It is an open landing page which will redirect to active online shops from refugee and forcibly displaced craft makers.
PROGRESSING KNOWLEDGE ON DIGITAL ECONOMY OPPORTUNITIES FOR & WITH DISPLACED CRAFT MAKERS:
Techfugees and TSWINI will collaborate in facilitating a coalition of e-commerce actors from Africa, Europe and beyond, by hosting two fairs and events in April 2022, led by TSWINI, and June 2022, led by Techfugees Nigeria, as part of the Global Techfugees Festival to enable an open and transparent dialogue between those stakeholders and to learn from e-commerce best practices when working with marginalized communities.
HOW CAN YOU HELP ?
We are now looking for:
- Educational content partners on e-commerce and digital marketing;
- Venues to host the trainings near Abuja;
- Phones and IT devices;
If you or your organization would like to help on one of these, do reach out at nigeria@techfugees.com
