Running Successful Businesses In The Heart of a Refugee Camp

As a young person, what do you do to survive? Do you rely on parents to provide? But what if your parents are not in the right position to provide for you? Despite being refugees, various young people in Dzaleka camp have chosen to take the initiative themselves.

Refugees in Dzaleka refugee camp struggle to make their day to day living. But surprisingly young people living in the camp have decided to not settle for anything less than reaching for their stars despite their social status and have taken serious initiative in starting various businesses to sustain themselves and their families.

Devota Irankunda

My name is Devota Irankunda, I arrived in Malawi when I was just 4 years old and now I am a 26 years old young lady from Burundi living in Dzaleka refugee camp. In 2020, I started my clothes business here and over the past four years my business has tremendously grown, because I have finally achieved my goal of owning a clothes store in my community enabling young people to purchase clothes of their choice within reach.

As an entrepreneur, I have the tendency of reflecting on the challenges I face in my small business to make informed decisions. For instance, some of the main challenges I have faced in the course of running this business are: Lack of financial help to put in my business as much as I would want to. I wish to become a reliable distributor across the country, but without enough financial resources this is not possible.

I also face theft as a challenge, I normally order my parcels online and it has happened countless times not receiving the goods from suppliers even after paying the full amount.

Yet, the worst of them all is being taken for granted as a woman. I wish people believed in the abilities of women. I am working hard to challenge this stigma in my community. Women are not beggars, women can break the barriers set by the community and I am an example that you can be self-reliant as a woman. I pray, I know I can’t take out a loan, because someone like me, a refugee is not allowed to do so, especially in this country. So, I just keep going.

As a woman I want other girls to one day look up to me and know they, too, can do it. It’s not easy, but it will eventually get better, and when you fall: Pick yourself up, because you got this.

Neema Kanyinda

Cosmetology is a big industry in the world that has made many people millionaires and billionaires. My name is Neema Kanyinda, 23 years old from DRC, a refugee living in Dzaleka, I am a make-up artist. I am passionate about everything in the beauty industry and what motivates me? I like the feeling of transforming or making people look beautiful and regaining confidence. After attending a year long training on make-up I then opened my beauty center a year ago.

My business has grown from offering make-up services to teaching young girls in Dzaleka the art of make-up. The beginning was not easy as I struggled to establish the business all by myself. My vision is to open a bigger learning center where young women will be equipped with skills. Despite my effort, my main challenge has been not having a conducive learning and lack of enough materials due to less financial means.

I used my personal income to start up with the business. My advice to the young people out there is: go for what you have as dream, work hard, focus, and be determined, remove fear, but put this in mind – nothing comes easy. And do live life like this: the more you work the richer and independent you become.

Francois Bangwe

My name is Francois Bangwe, I am a 20 year old young man. I am a refugee in Dzaleka. I am a painter today who has been painting for eight years now.  While I was young, I adored painting, but I never knew it’s something I could do. I still felt the will to try it, and eventually I convinced myself to take a try, and after almost a decade, I have perfected the craft and I’m selling across the country online and participate in auditions. I got a commission to paint a portrait in 2017, the money I was given was 15,000 Malawi-Kwacha (MK) and I painted my best. The owner of the portrait was highly impressed with my work and this made me realize that I can turn this into a business.

The main challenge is that very few people in the camp support painting in terms of buying. Also, I have to cover 45 kilometers by car or motorcycle to exhibit my work and sell it. I paint for a lower price just to ensure that I am able to survive and meet my needs, for instance I paint a personalised portrait for only MK 30,000.

I am a strong person able to persist through challenges and I believe in my ability to persuade customers into buying my paintings. My advice to young artists out there is that, the more you practice, the more you perfect it. And the more you perfect, it the more you are likely to attract customers hence making a living out of it. Why do we remember the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci today? The answer is simple, these artists who believed in the power of painting, but most importantly believed in themselves. Work hard and believe in yourself and everything is possible regardless of one’s social status. 

Simon Kashirangwa

My name is Simon Kashirangwa, I am from the DRC. I chose to start my business of selling clothes and shoes, because I saw a need in the market that I believed I could fulfill. As a refugee in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, I noticed that refugees were not allowed to go into town for shopping, making it difficult for people to access essential items. This motivated me to start my business so that fellow refugees could easily purchase clothes and shoes for adults, youths, and children without having to travel anywhere. The idea of running my own business and providing a convenient solution for my community was a driving force for me. I am passionate about offering a wide range of clothing and footwear options for all age groups, and I believe in the potential of my shop to grow and make a positive impact on the lives of refugees in the camp. I utilized my personal savings that I had carefully set aside. Additionally, I reached out to family and friends who believed in my vision and were willing to provide financial support and guidance.

Understanding the challenges of accessing traditional financing as a refugee, I also explored alternative funding sources such as microloans and grants specifically designed for entrepreneurs in similar circumstances. Through a combination of personal savings, support from my network, and strategic financial planning, I was able to gather the resources needed to launch my business successfully. Sourcing inventory is one of my main challenges: Finding reliable suppliers for quality clothing and shoes at affordable prices is a challenge, especially given the limitations of operating within a refugee camp. Market Access: Despite the convenience my shop offers, reaching potential customers and expanding my market beyond the refugee camp is difficult due to restrictions on movement and limited marketing opportunities. Financial Constraints: Access to capital for business expansion and inventory restocking is limited, making it challenging to grow the business and meet increasing demand. Competition: While my business provides a valuable service, competition within the camp and from other informal vendors impact sales and profitability.

Networking is an essential aspect of business growth that I am actively pursuing. Building connections as a refugee within the business community and expanding my professional network are critical steps in leveraging new opportunities for collaboration and growth. By being aware of my strengths and weaknesses, I am committed to continuous improvement and growth as a businessman, striving to maximize my strengths and address areas for development to drive the success of my business.

Embarking on the entrepreneurial journey as a young individual is a bold and rewarding endeavor, filled with opportunities for growth, innovation, and success. As someone who has navigated the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, I offer the following advice to aspiring young entrepreneurs looking to venture into businesses like mine.

In conclusion, embarking on the entrepreneurial journey as a young individual is a challenging yet rewarding experience. By embracing resilience, creativity, customer focus, adaptability, leadership, risk-taking, financial management, work-life balance, networking, and continuous learning, aspiring young entrepreneurs can set themselves on a path towards building successful and fulfilling businesses. With passion, perseverance, and a growth mindset, the possibilities for success in entrepreneurship are endless.

(The German translation of this article can be found here./ Die deutsche Versions des Artikels gibt es hier.)