Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action)
Headquarter Country
Uganda
Geographies served
Issue areas addressed
Communities served
SDGs focus
Collaborators
Stephen Rwagweri
We assembled 23 years career experience into a social innovation titled Traditional Artisans inclusion which we wish to scale across Africa. We see Catalyst 2030 as a collaborative global platform from where we can build partnership, networking, collaboration for information sharing, knowledge building, technical and financial support required to scale the innovation. The Traditional Artisan Inclusion model (TA – I model) 1. The targeted development problem We are addressing industry and market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among traditional artisans in Africa who have artisan heritage as the only resource. Due to the neglect of the sector in modern capacity development investment, the persisting traditional artisans are remote rural and urban slum women and youth, indigenous people, the elderly, the chronically sick, persons with disabilities and the displaced who lack alternative source of income. Their ancient designs haven’t been consolidated as a distinct product line to generate its own relevant market in museums, research and cultural centers and streamline stages of crafting evolution, creating story diversity and increased market value. Due to their unique limitations of being generally illiterate, digitally excluded, physically and technically incapacitated, they are left out of the existing modern capacity development investment, elitist training models and the entire growth of the sector which now globally stands at the value of US$ 500 billion (2020) and growing at 20% per year (PBP, 2021). Amidst extreme deprivation, as a last resort, they cling to their artisan heritage, seeking source of livelihood, resilience, social relevancy and therapy. They constitute the poorest production group with individuals living on less than US$ 2 a day. In Africa, artisan practices exist in every community as a source of livelihood and a space of innovation, recreation and enhancing spiritual and social relationships. The sector is second to agriculture in providing employment and source of livelihood among people at grassroots and it has absolute advantage in reaching out and reclaiming productivity accompanied with therapy and restoration of social relevance among the most technically and physically incapacitated demographics and hence driving equity and inclusion. In 2024 sector mapping report Uganda acknowledges that the bulk of artisan skills are trapped in informal sector (MGLSD, 2014). Globally 60% of the workforce is informal and ILO estimates 300 million people to be underserved as home workers and many of these are traditional artisans. Using innovative tools and strategies to mitigate their unique limitations and build their capacity to meet market demands, availing their products to global markets through digital marketing solutions, traditional artisans will improve incomes and move from living on less than US$ 2 a day. 2. The targeted population category This innovation develops artisan products to access global market for the benefit of traditional artisans who are impacted by capacity development services and the overall transformative effect of the business. Traditional artisans are an economic category who manufacture goods using hands or simple tools individually or in small groups, relying on traditional skills and practices. Production and marketing is informal. Because the sector is relegated in investments, the persisting traditional artisans are remote rural and urban slum women and youth, indigenous people, the elderly, the chronically ill and the displaced who have limited economic alternatives and their endangered cultural materials and artisan practices are the only resources they have. There are often people in conditions of either extreme deprivation or technically and physically incapacitated that they retreat to handmade for source of livelihood, social relevance and therapy. 3. The development solution/TA – I social innovation a) The definition Traditional Artisan Inclusion model employs innovative tools and strategies to empower market excluded traditional artisans in Africa to consolidate ancient and create adaptive designs and delivering products to the global market through an online marketing platform linked to partner platforms, trade fairs and agencies. b) The core process of the model 1. Innovative training tools which are customized to unique limitations of traditional artisans, are developed and periodically reviewed 2. A network of community based TA - Inclusion facilitators, developed, grown and periodically appraised 3. Traditional artisans are mobilized and recruited pairing the elderly with the youth for intergenerational sharing 4. A catalogue and cataloguing frame which juxtaposes the ancient and adopted designs is developed and periodically updated and used in training and marketing 5. Three training modules using innovative and customized tools and focusing on consolidating ancient designs, creating adaptive designs, business and digital marketing are applied on cohorts of traditional artisans 6. Established and constantly developed and utilized an online marketing platform linked to other partner platforms, international trade fairs and agencies. 7. Craft categories with high market value including consolidated and adaptive designs are identified, production commissioned and products availed to global market through online marketing platform linked to partner platforms, international trade fairs and agencies. 8. Spontaneous, dramatic, ongoing and informal sharing of skills that develop into a chain training system is encouraged through awards c) The unique aspects of the model 1. Recognizing and targeting traditional artisans as a distinct production group 2. Innovative tools and strategies that are customized to the unique capacity, physical, technical and contextual limitations of traditional artisans 3. The strategy of pairing the elderly and the youth for intergenerational sharing of skills, knowledge, capabilities and perspectives 4. Encouraging ongoing, dramatic and spontaneous sharing of skills developing into a chain training system 5. Balancing sourcing of products for marketing with capacity development of the makers which is informed by the robust market and product research 6. Consolidating ancient designs into a distinct product line and create its relevant market in museums, cultural and research centers 4. The theory of change of TA – I model Preconditions 1. Applying innovative strategies of mobilizing and constantly engaging traditional artisans where the elderly are paired with youth. 2. Recruiting, training, inducting, periodically appraising and constantly engaging community based TA Inclusion facilitators 3. Applying 3 module customized capacity development to traditional artisans using innovative tools on consolidating ancient designs, adapting to changing lifestyle, business enterprise building and digital marketing skills 4. Developing and constantly updating master catalogue and cataloguing frame and utilizing in training and marketing. 5. Established and constantly developed and utilizing online marketing platform linked to partner platforms, international trade fairs and agencies 6. Ongoing encouragement of dramatic and spontaneous sharing of skills developing into a chain training system Required inputs to realize the preconditions include funding inform of grants, and equity and support in form of technical assistance, information and networking. Outputs 1. Established, constantly reviewed and applied innovative and customized capacity development tools and strategies 2. Traditional artisans who include the elderly paired with youth, trained in three modules 3. Established, periodically updated and constantly utilized in training and marketing a master catalogue and cataloguing frame 4. Established, utilized and constantly developing online marketing platform 5. Functioning partnerships with other online marketing platforms, international trade fairs and agencies 6. Market ready products in form of ancient consolidated and modern adapted designs 7. Sales and revenues on products of traditional artisans from international marketing and trading activities. Outcomes After undergoing a complete process of capacity development activities, traditional artisans who include the elderly paired with youth, are increasingly consolidating ancient designs into a distinct product line and availing products to newly developed specific relevant market in museums, culture and research centers. They are also increasingly adapting design skills to changing lifestyles and producing adapted styles. They are adapting technology enabled marketing and accessing the global craft market. They are managing business relationships with value chain partners and building viable micro artisan enterprises which are attracting further training, business financing, capital investments and marketing partnerships from ecosystem institutions. Ancient and adaptive designs are emerging as clear separate product categories, streamlining evolutionary stages in crafting, creating diversity of themes and stories and uses with associated increased market value. Long-term outcomes Traditional artisans in Africa who include the elderly and the youth competitively accessing global craft market and effectively integrated in capacity development programing and mainstream creative manufacturing sector and creating jobs across the value chain. Impact Traditional artisans in Africa who include the elderly and youth and predominantly of female gender increase incomes, improve livelihood and welfare and moving from living on less than US$ 2 a day per individual. Key assumptions 1. The economic, political, social, legal and health environment in targeted countries in Africa remain conducive 2. The most effective way of creating incomes among traditional artisans in Africa, who have artisan practices as the only resource is to improve capacity to access market 3. Consolidating ancient designs into a product line instead of only fusion of ancient and adaptive aspects, can diversify market and increase benefits to traditional artisans 4. The employed innovative mobilization and training strategies to traditional artisans, can mitigate their unique limitations and effectively boost their capacity. 5. The traditional artisans will access sufficient internet and power for minimum required digital operations The theory of change TA Inclusion model 5. Pathways and vision of scale Every community in Africa has craft practices and conditions of neglect of the sector are also common. The global craft market is potentially abundant. We plan to reach 2 million artisans, transform 1.5 million artisans into competitive market producers, 1.5 million active users of digital marketing platform, create 3 million jobs and increase family incomes by 90% in 5 years after pilot. We shall scale by hybrid model. Through partnership and collaborations and leveraging the ecosystem of social impact, we shall increase our global crafts market share and African countries where we develop makers, prioritizing where the sector is least developed. Expand by re-investing earnings and attracting impact public funding and institutionally engaging in collaborations, joint venture and franchise arrangements. While for profit can handle both capacity development and trading, the nonprofits handles capacity development and links producers to for profits to advance with trading. We are already a member of Catalyst 2030, a global collaborative platform of 3,000 organizations. We use this and other networks to establish collaborations and partnerships around scaling this innovation.