Unleashing Beauty: The Story of Mwanaa Urembo
Meet Mwanaidi, the passionate cosmetician behind the thriving brand Mwanaa Urembo. Her journey into the world of skincare began in 2019, almost five years ago. Fresh out of form 6, she found herself searching for something meaningful to pursue after school.
With a desire to become a successful business person, Mwanaidi embarked on her entrepreneurial path by delving into network marketing.
Despite not having to take out loans for school, Mwanaidi was fortunate to find a sponsor who provided her with the capital she needed to join the network marketing industry.
Through this experience, she gained valuable knowledge about skincare and developed a deep passion for helping others address their skin concerns. Determined to carve out her own niche in the beauty industry, Mwanaidi began creating her own skincare products and even started writing a book to educate people about skincare.
Through this experience, she gained valuable knowledge about skincare and developed a deep passion for helping others address their skin concerns. Determined to carve out her own niche in the beauty industry, Mwanaidi began creating her own skincare products and even started writing a book to educate people about skincare.
"Kwa kweli Kiafrika imenisaidia sana. Naona biashara yangu inatangazwa na napata wateja kutoka sehemu mbalimbali. Nawashukuru sana."- Mwanaidi, Founder of Mwanaa Urembo
Reflecting on her journey, Mwanaidi acknowledges the role that Kiafrika has played in her success. “Kwa kweli Kiafrika imenisaidia sana,” she says. “Naona biashara yangu inatangazwa na napata wateja kutoka sehemu mbalimbali. Nawashukuru sana.” With the help of Kiafrika, Mwanaidi has been able to expand her reach and connect with customers not only in Tanzania but across Africa, fulfilling her dream of making a positive impact on people’s lives through skincare.
Every small purchase makes a big difference.
Crafting Dreams: The Journey of Asilia African Crafts
Besta, A multi-talented young lady who was on a journey to settle for a different business then came across someone who crotched shoes and that is where she was inspired by the art and decided to pick up the skill and turn it into one of her current business. It has been 3 years since she started Asilia African Crafts where she also added jewellery in her line of business that she is also popularly known for.
In the beginning Besta was just doing business, selling goods and earning money as she had not yet figured out where it was going. As the business was growing and gaining more customers she found purpose in her business, saw a bigger picture, made bigger plans for her business and has improved tremendously in so many ways.
Being someone who picked these skills from others and decided to put in effort to learn how to do the job, she is doing very well considering that the type of shoes she makes are very unique. Despite starting as a novice, Besta’s dedication and perseverance propelled her towards mastery. Her crocheted creations, renowned for their uniqueness, captured the hearts of customers worldwide. Not content with mere aesthetics, Besta delved into crafting orthopedic-friendly shoes, customizing each pair to cater to individual needs.
Additionally, she also deals in brass jewelry, offering a stunning array of handcrafted pieces that blend traditional techniques with contemporary design. Her brass jewelry collection features intricate patterns, elegant motifs, and exquisite craftsmanship, making each piece a statement of timeless beauty and sophistication. From delicate earrings to bold statement necklaces, Besta’s brass jewelry reflects her passion for craftsmanship and attention to detail, earning her a reputation as a skilled artisan in the world of handmade accessories. Check out some of these brass jewelry.
Besta believes that she has finally found a place that fits her, has seen her business grow into something big and is looking forward to give her customers more. Exhibitions and markets are some of the places that have given her many customers compared to online but within the time she has been with KiAfrika platform she could tell that online customers are as active as physical buyers in markets and exhibitions.
Kiafrika platform has had her on her toes, has kept her on standby because she was reminded that she needs to make more so when an order comes she would be ready for immediate delivery and she has managed to do that.
- Besta, Founder of Asili African Craft
The Bright Side Of The Dim Lights
Romode was just a vision prior to what it is now.
Rosemary knew she wanted to make candles as a business and her source of income after she had briefly learnt how to do it back in her second year of university. She knew exactly how she wanted the business to turn out but she wasn’t set to begin her journey yet so preceded with her employment as she worked on putting her dream job together. With a very random image of a candle from the internet as her profile picture, her then colleague saw it and placed an order. Rosemary went ahead to get all the particulars needed to make candles and did her very first batch for her first client, that was the very first sale which was 3 candles sold for 25,000 TZS that pushed Rosemary to give us what is Romode Candles today.
Growing up Rose suffered severe malaria often so she was determined to make mosquito repellent in form of candles as well as mosquito repellent jelly which in the long run she managed and it is in the market. Her products are easily accessible in supermarkets and also via kiafrika.shop where she has made a number of sales. At one point, Romode managed to make a sale of 100 candles from one bulk order via Kiafrika platform.
"Kiafrika platform has helped us connect to markets that I would not be able to access on a regular day as most of my customers used to come from recommendations." - Rosemary, Founder of Romode Candles
Rosemary has always preferred dim lights and that is another reason for her love for candles while the urge to learn how to make them in many ways is what got her brand here today. After the first sale which was an eye opening moment of believing in making candles for money, she started putting in extra effort to learn more as she produced more candles with the knowledge she had.
With support from friends and family who assisted with promoting her business, she eventually bought a machine and made labels for her products. Few months after she started working on the candles and building her brand, Rosemary attended an exhibition in Lindi where her products won as best and was invited for more exhibitions in Zanzibar and other parts of Tanzania and that’s how Romode candles picked up in the beginning.
Every small purchase makes a big difference.
An Audacious Act that Changed My World
Mhelepu Shillingi, a young lady making a living off her talent. She initially did it as a hobby up until 2020 when she decided to spend more time and focused on her hobby then turned it into something that made her money.
As a then second year student at the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, she took it up to the university campus and a restaurant in a popular building in the heart of Dar es Salaam to show the public what she can do. She was sketching in public spaces and that’s where she got recognition and many of her first customers, which is where the journey of a full time artist and how she started making money off her talent. Over two years in with over a hundred drawings and as a full time artist, she has found so much growth in her journey. Learning how to paint, teaching and selling her work she has also found the artists community very supportive and collaborative.
Mhelepu Shillingi, a young lady making a living off her talent.
Mhelepu still finds that most people do not understand the work of art. Time, creativity and focus put into your work does not get valued especially when you are trying to sell your work.
In collaboration with Kiafrika Online Market, Mhelepu is now working on growing her customer base outside Tanzania as for the past few years most of her customers have been within Tanzania.
She has managed to find an identity for her work by having a mix of colours in the background and using charcoal and graphite on her drawings.
When you support a small business, you support a dream.
