Kaza oils is a brand under BAYOBA and it came to life in 2016 after realizing that communities in the Kavango Zambezi area could generate significant income through sustainable and ethical harvesting of natural resources in the region. Foreign buyers would frequent the parts of the region that are in Zimbabwe and purchase raw materials at a fraction of the actual value hence short-changing communities. There was an opportunity for Zimbabwean entrepreneur to enter this market and ensure that communities reap more benefit through fair trade practices and shorten the supply chain to local cosmetic formulators. 

We have managed to penetrate the communities and create a strong value chain for natural butters and oils. 90% of this value chain is feminine. Community suppliers are mostly women and girls as traditionally picking and sorting fruit is a woman’s job. This works perfectly well for our women’s emancipation drive as these women have seen an improvement in their income as well as their business acumen. Through our interventions, the suppliers now have a deep understanding and appreciation of the value of the raw materials and through fair trade we ensure that they get value for their products. Economic empowerment has addressed GBV issues in the community as our suppliers are now able to feed and clothe their families as well as pay school fees for their children. 

Our local customers are also largely women in the beauty and hair care sectors. Through our products they have realized a renewed sense of worth and economic empowerment through the products that they make. Some have even gone international! The sheer ability to make another woman gain confidence in her skin and hair is empowering and edifies to women’s self-worth.

Because of our largely feminine supply chain, matters of GBV are not rampant. Instead, there is a unity of purpose and a silent but very powerful sisterhood code that allows for a conducive environment for all to thrive free from harm and discrimination. For example, if I have some unpaid care work duties that I must attend to, I simply ask a colleague to step in for me and I would do the same for them. I find that this feminist environment allows us all to thrive.

My words of advice to women in abusive situations – personal or at work is “Speak up! There is always someone to listen!”