Muundo Barakoa Initiative

COVID-19 has created massive loss of jobs and income to large segments of society due to social distancing and lockdown measures. Low income individuals and excluded groups can’t afford PPE to meet enforced measures to wear masks and gloves.  

In emerging economies the impact is more severe due to limited potential to work at home.  Informal sector workers and service providers are subjectEd to risk of infection while traveling in crowded public transport and engage in work exposing them to contamination.   

Muundo Barakoa, meaning “design mask” in Swahili, is an initiative to engage the unemployed or partially employed persons to locally manufacture such PPE using textiles and fabrics (including remnants) that are locally available.  

Working with partners to design, manufacture, distribute and sell PPE at affordable prices will provide not only access to PPE, jobs and income during the COVID-19 crisis, but is also a sustainable model for the future. 

COVID-19 has contributed to the loss of 20 million jobs in Africa. In addition, there has been a significant loss in livelihoods and income by a wide range of the population, including wage household workers, informal traders, and other service sector employees who have been furloughed, let go, or asked to stay home with no wages.   Those that still have jobs or cannot benefit from working from home, have to travel to their jobs in crowded public transport and have limited means of protecting themselves from infection and infecting others. The capacity for impacted  individuals and their families to afford basic daily goods and needs, not to mention protective gear like masks and gloves has been severely impacted. Furthermore, there are global shortages of PPE as the global supply chains that would deliver PPE to countries in Africa, entering the peak infection phase of the pandemic after Asia, Europe and the Americas, have also been disrupted.  It is critical to organize and aggregate local capacity, talent, skills and resources to manufacture PPE domestically to meet the gaping demand at affordable prices.  Muundo Barakoa Initiative brings a sustainable contribution to the global effort of meeting country PPE demands in developing countries.

Muundo Barakoa (which means “design mask” in Swahili) is an initiative that aggregates local capacity to manufacture PPE for daily wear by under-served communities.  The project leverages existing supply chains to serve PPE to the non-medical community. 

The project creates jobs, provides supplementary income to low wage earners, and serves PPE to poor and under-served neighbourhoods, as well as meeting the specific design and distribution needs for those living with disabilities and the pastoralist societies that  are mobile and need dedicated solutions. 

The project team has designed a solution to:

1). Engage a talented local designer, who uses WHO standards of performance, matched to standards circulated by the National Bureau of Standards, to design masks and gloves;

2). A team of previously unemployed or partially employed workers are employed, working at home or in common spaces provided by partner instituons,  that respect the social distancing rules, to cut from a pattern, make, and assemble PPE;

3). Demand for PPE is aggregated for bulk purchase of local textiles and fabrics from companies in the country (Kenya);

4). An Uber transport service is engaged to deliver the manufactured PPE to distribution points for delivery to remote and under privileged communities. 

The Muundo Barakoa Initiative when functioning at full capacity would be an efficient and scaled up supply chain for production and distribution of PPE that functions at three levels: mass production at factory level, medium scale production from existing capacities in the made-to-order sector; and informal level manufacturing and distribution from organizing currently unemployed women with skills to make things, to serve a critical need in PPE at the country level. The local manufacture will result in releasing foreign currency to import medication and medical equipment that cannot be manufactured locally.  

The Muundo Barakoa Initiative will be a great center piece and a bridge to achieve two objectives : (i) to improve lives and incomes of the most vulnerable individuals affected financially by losing their jobs in the informal sector due to the pandemic, people living with disabilities, vulnerable women (widows, single mothers, unemployed women), rural residents including in the  pastoralist community, and isolated communities such as people  living with albinism; and (ii) to provide locally manufactured protective gear (masks and gloves) for individuals living in these excluded communities.

The Muundo Barakoa initiative works with informal sector and small businesses and provides advisory services on building sustainable businesses.  Providing access to capital and engaging informal and small businesses to design, manufacture and distribute PPE using local materials has value beyond the COVID-19 crisis. Financing imports for spare parts and using local talent to repair broken or unused equipment provides jobs, but also engages active design and manufacturing talent to serve the broader economy. Linking textile manufacturers and e-based transport companies to informal and small companies provides new supply chains and sourcing options that are invaluable even after the pandemic. 

Muundo Barakoa is unique as it utilizes coordinated small informal companies for a decentralized  approach to design and manufacturing PPE that meets regulated health standards. We use the talents of excluded groups while sourcing local materials  and leveraging technology to match demand to supply points and organize distribution.  Learning is continuous through sharing experiences by video on social media.  The PPE is offered to excluded and disadvantaged groups at affordable prices. The main competitors are domestic large scale centralized manufacturing companies that utilize traditional models, as well as import companies that bring PPE from external producers.  Our products are fully re-usable and can be washed and disinfected and therefore do not contribute waste.  Our competitors make one-time use products that have to be specially treated during garbage collection to minimize infection.  

The Muundo Barakoa Initiative works with existing mobile technologies for messaging to align demand and supply requests and mobile payments systems to pay for the services and goods.  Once the number of participants have been increased to 10,000 we would be interested in launching a blockchain based platform linking manufacturers (SMEs and informal companies) to buyers and financiers.  We are currently testing such a blockchain solution with feedback loops for learning on another project we are working on in Côte d’Ivoire.  

SMS-backed systems are in wide use in East Africa and mobile payments systems have been in place and are well used (such as MPESA). The blockchain solution we intend to use has been developed for Singapore and ASEAN countries which don’t have informal companies. In East Africa where we plan to use the blockchain technology, the KYC and verification process for informal companies needs to be developed first before embedding them into a blockchain solution.  

The approach to building an inclusive company is what will assure sustainability and success in achieving impact.  Manufacturing is done by unemployed and partially employed individuals, most of whom are women.  By being engaged in the activity of making PPE they earn and income which improves their quality of life.  As the employed low-skilled workers engage in setting up informal companies, they can be moved to scale their activity and become formal small and medium enterprises, contributing to further job creation.  The manufacturers are linked to designers who transfer skills them which could be used for manufacturing other goods beyond the PPE after the crisis is over. Higher skilled manufacturing could provide opportunities for branding which will assure them a market within and outside Kenya. The input materials (textiles, threads, scissors, sewing machines) are manufactured locally or repaired locally, impacting the entire cotton-textile-garment value chain.   This provides multiplier effects in the entire economy and preserves foreign exchange for other strategic imports like medical equipment and pharmaceutical products. Finally, since the products are primarily made in the first stage, at affordable prices and for distribution and sales to low income and excluded groups, there are also social (health) benefits to the targeted communities and broader society. 

1). Current number of people served: 40 employed, 10,000 benefiting from manufactured PPE  in Nairobi 

2)  Number served in one year: 500 employed, 2 million benefiting from manufactured PPE in and 14  counties In Kenya and neighboring Ethiopia 

3). Number served in 5 years: 1000 employed, serving demands from Africa and the rest of the world for bespoke hand-made textile products of up to 5 million units sold per year 

Within the coming year, we will be growing the size of the enterprise by engaging more people in the design and manufacturing of PPE and beginning the process of shifting to other bespoke handmade products.  The impact would be more jobs and higher incomes.
We will also be enhancing the partnership with the Pastoralist Heritage Foundation (PHC) to link to communities in the 14 counties in Kenya that target the needs of pastoralist groups including on the border with Kenya. The masks made would have relevance beyond COVID-19 as they can also shield pastoralists from dust storms and protect them when they work with animals to reduce the animal-to-human transmission.   The impact would be better health outcomes for excluded groups.  
We have already registered a Foundation (Muundo Barakoa Foundation) in Kenya, which we will use to raise funding for scaling up the activities. The impact would be a sustainable source of funding to ensure excluded groups are served even as the business further develops its financial sustainability. 
Within the next year, we will also expand to other markets in Africa and build a blockchain solution  to reach a global audience.  The impact would be an e-enabled sustainable global business.

In five years, we expect to have reached a global market with a secure blockchain enabled solution of branded products that  meet specific needs of consumers who want to make a difference in a persons life by buying products that are handmade in a sustainable manner.

The main barriers are financial, technical, cultural,  and market related.  To get to scale within Kenya, Africa and beyond, we would need financial resources to purchase equipment and other inputs, as well as to develop the blockchain solutions to match buyers, sellers, companies  and  financiers and ensure they are directly linked to the individuals making the products and can be easily also linked to grant-making and subsidy schemes.  

The main technical barriers relate to matching existing technologies with the blockchain platform so we can have an easy to use interface for people with no or limited internet access and relying mostly on mobile phones for buying, selling and payment. 

A cultural barrier we face has to do with encouraging well-educated and higher skilled people to work in difficult environments (slums and remote rural areas). This may be overcome through working with community organizations closer to the points of delivery, which we have begun to do. 

Accessing regulated markets is another barrier to overcome. 

For the financial barriers, we have designed the business model to grow in a modular fashion as we raise resources into the Foundation.  The combination of an inclusive business model with a financially sustainable approach to making products, we hope to attract resources to the Foundation that would enable blended finance solutions and a balance between sale and grant. 

For technical barriers, we hope to learn from Singapore and engage with experts to customize the blockchain solution for our needs. We would need financial and technical support to get to this stage. 

For cultural barriers, we plan to build relations with community based organizations to ensure we have partnerships in every delivery point and also evolve  and experiment with delivery approaches that reduce contact but are secure (like drones). 

For market barriers, we plan to work with special arrangements like the continental free trade area (AfCTA) in Africa; AGOA for US markets;  EPAs for European markets; as well as specialized trade deals in Asia. 

We created Muundo Barakoa Foundation and we work in partnership with Endeva which is a not-for-profit organization working on the topic of sustainable development through support research, knowledge exchange and the implementation of projects.  The people working in making the PPE do so for profit and we aim to help them register their companies and become formalized.

Full time at Muundo Barakoa Foundation = 5

Full time in making the PPE = 6

Part time in making the PPE = 4

Full time at PHC Foundation  working on the initiative = 40

Full time at Endeva working on the initiative = 3

Full time at Oxfam Kenya = 3

Ms. Aguere Bultcha brings unique experience in stakeholder management and communication. She has a background in international relations, global studies, and leadership and management. We leverage her pedagogical skills to transfer “how-to” knowledge in production and distribution.  Her experience in managing competitive award processes is also highly valuable.  Furthermore, Ms. Bultcha lends a helping hand to those often forgotten. Survivor of a car accident as a child, she overcame risk of paralysis, and is today engaged in daring activities, underlining her tenacity and will to succeed.  

Dr. Frannie Léautier is a finance and development professional, with long-standing global experience leading and transforming organisations in the private, public, and not-for-profit spheres. She held various leadership and governance roles and is known for her skills in operational management, transformational leadership, resource mobilisation, working with complex multi-constituency governance structures, and engaging with the highest levels of government. Her work has contributed to attracting innovative financing to Africa. She founded two companies and holds advisory and governance roles on several boards. 

Ms. Eléonore Immaculée Nyamwiza brings a background in process oversight in asset management, engaging with service providers, shareholders and partners around fund management and administration, developing and managing budgets, and ensuring effective and smooth follow-up on strategy. She is skilled in navigating challenging environments gained during emergency recruitment of humanitarian personnel during the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. This skill is invaluable in response to COVID-19. She also brings diplomatic skills.

Endeva brings skills on building a sustainable and inclusive business. 

• Muundo Barakoa Foundation is the Lead applicant organisation will provide strategic guidance, fundraising and governance oversight 
• PHC Foundation: Partner, a local NGO serving the disabled and pastoralist societies in Kenya and Ethiopia. This organisation facilitates in manufacturing and dispatching PPE in rural areas and slams
• BMW Foundation: A Funder of the first grant of £ 15,000 to Muundo Barakoa Foundation 
• Endêva  will provide advice on building an inclusive business. Endêva is an inclusive business with special focus on COVID-19 solutions where they help companies to adjust and provide solutions to meet sustainability and inclusion needs.
• OXFAM International, Kenya office: a partner Organisation which would bring in the social and policy dimensions that are critically needed and in-kind support on the strategic advice and distribution channels to reach underserved communities.
• Designer Mrs. Kokeb Zemed Pinard Founder and fashion designer of Koki Designs, winner of East African Designer 2017 Kenyan Fashion Awards.  Mrs Pinard has an ever evolving design with time embracing truly the African colours and culture in creating attires for all ages and gender.  Mrs. Pinard’s designs among others was integrated and worn by Supreme Court Judges – leading the change in colours from the usual black and white robes otherwise worn by the civil servants. A partner in availing the manpower for the production of the masks and gloves – thereby assisting the workers to keep livelihood through these productions

The key customers of Muundo Barakoa are buyers of PPE who seek affordable products made of natural textiles and those interested in African brands.  They are served by formally unemployed or partially employed people who make these products and are the main beneficiaries in terms of jobs and income.  The other key beneficiaries of Muundo Barakoa are low income and excluded groups who need access to affordable PPE and who seek alternative forms of employment.  Manufacturing of PPE is made at a profit although start up costs of setting up the manufacturing locations, organizing the women and men employed, and building their skills are funded through grants.  Distribution to difficult to access areas also requires grant support for the startup phase.  Future phases of company growth are funded by profits.  All inputs are sourced locally and limit the use of long-distance transportation and hence limit emissions and minimize the negative environmental footprint. Networking of buyers, makers, sellers and financiers allows a smooth process of matching to get to scale. Future plans to put all players into a blockchain would successful outreach to global markets. 

The start up funds have come from sweat capital and financial contributions by the Founding Partners of Muundo Barakoa Foundation.  We have also managed to attract in-kind contributions.  These start-up funds allowed us to set up the business and create a self-sustaining model that covers all the operating costs and makes a return via sales of PPE. 

To reach exclude groups and make the business an inclusive one, we attracted a grant from a Foundation and obtained the services of Endeva.  This has allowed us to serve 14 counties in a Kenya.  

Going beyond the manufacturing of cotton textile masks and gloves and reaching other regional and global clients, as well as building the blockchain solution would require further investment.

We hope to attract other investors into this initiative including.  

We are applying to solve in order to get partners who can help us overcome the main barriers we face which are financial, technical, cultural,  and market related.  

To get to scale within Kenya, Africa and beyond, we would need financial resources to purchase equipment and other inputs, as well as partners to develop a blockchain solution to match buyers, sellers, companies  and  financiers and ensure they are directly linked to the individuals making the products and can be easily also linked to grant-making and subsidy schemes.   

The main technical barriers we seek to address relate to matching existing technologies with the blockchain platform so we can have an easy to use interface for people with no or limited internet access and relying mostly on mobile phones for buying, selling and payment.   We believe SOLVE can be a great platform to get partners in this regard.

A cultural barrier we face has to do with encouraging well-educated and higher skilled people to work in difficult environments (slums and remote rural areas). This may be overcome through working with community organizations closer to the points of delivery, which we have begun to do.  We seek engaged people who would be willing to intern or spend some time working in the environments in which we work  

Accessing regulated markets is another barrier to overcome, and we seek partners who are able to open market opportunities for our products. 

Our partnership goals are to get partners who can help evolve the appropriate technology platform solution and provide the financial resources to prototype and test the model for expansion behind our current geography.   Financial support to pay for prototype and experimentation is also a key goal. Advisory services on building the supply chain and logistics solutions would help us expand in a sustainable manner. 

MIT faculty and initiatives including MIT-Africa and MIT COVID related responses as well those engaged in applying blockchain to emerging market and crisis solving situations.  

Our target beneficiaries include refugees living in disadvantaged urban areas where the disease load and infections rates are high and hence there is a higher need for PPE but with limited affordability.  The solution we propose also provides jobs and incomes in addition to services and goods.  

Women make up the bulk of the people engaged in the manufacturing of PPE in our model and we hope to engage girls with coding experience to deliver the blockchain solution.  The majority of beneficiaries of the manufactured goods are women and children.  The founders and partnership team of this initiative is 80% female.   

Our business model is inclusive by design and allows skills transfer to solve a current problem of manufacturing PPE, but by design, the business model can be used to make other products.  The approach provides good jobs to excluded groups and allows part time or full time engagement and is hence flexible in terms of life-work-balance and working from home.   As the approach embeds design elements, it is open to innovation in making or distributing the products and provides a good starting point for family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs who can go on and innovate in other inclusive businesses.  

The business approach used has learning from videos that are circulated on WhatsApp and is accessible to people who don’t have internet connections but have a mobile phone.  The approach is transferable to other countries and could be a good way to transfer skills from one generation to the next. It would work very well in bridging the generations in Portugal and offering skills transfer in making things using cheap mobile systems that could pair up public and private solutions for job creation.