Climate Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Kibebe designs ethical, eco-inclusive, highly curated products for the international market to provide employment for refugees and Malawian artisans living in and around the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. Kibebe collects items such as, toothpaste caps, milk packets, water bottles, pasta packets, just to name a few. Kibebe provides means of recycling waste using a sustainable and climate-friendly approach that benefits the community and the growth of the business. Operating as an eco-inclusive business has opened a niche market and has provided a rapid opportunity for expansion in the market.

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Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Malawi has restrictions of refugee employment in most sectors of the industry, apart from Medicinie and Education. Through our work, we bridge the gap by offering informal job opportunities that support the livelihood of people living in the margins of the society. 95% of our workforce are refugees, 95% are women and 5% are persons living with a disability or have a family member with a disability. In a nonchalant community that does not have a waste managing policy we educate our artisans on how best to manage waste. Our model serves the purpose to change the mindset of the people in the community by curating products that have a high-finish and are marketable. 

The project gives them a sense of ownership, dignity and it empowers them to be part of the solution on a wider scale in the nation. Through the inclusion of locals living near the refugee camp, we knit together relationships that foster workmaship and likemindedness. Our markets expose their needs, hard work, craftsmanship and give them a voice in a desolate place easily forgotten. Their contribution to climate change puts them at an equal scale with people living in big cities facing the same problems.