Nayamba Trade Centre
Our dream for many years was to create a trade centre alongside Nayamba School. In 2019, we began turning that dream into a reality. This not-for-profit social enterprise is a place for apprentices to learn a trade and develop lifelong skills. Particularly focusing on supporting the most vulnerable older girls within the community, providing them with an option beyond their school education to not only support themselves and their families financially, but to foster a sense of purpose and identity for themselves. The Nayamba Trade Centre operates to promote empowerment for vulnerable young women to create meaningful and lasting impacts in the community, beyond the classroom.
After completing all the building works, we now have annual cohorts of apprentices in textiles. Alongside tailoring skills, they have been making great progress, mastering our weaving looms. We sell products within Zambia and online and are now looking for new ways to increase production and export. This will allow us to generate funds for the trade centre and ensure a sustainable future.
Our dream was to create opportunity for those students not continuing their education. Our sustainable trade centre does just that.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
— Benjamin Franklin
Trade Centre Projects
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Trade centre building
With help from Beit Trust, we were delighted to be able to fund two large, self-contained units for our students learning to weave, sew and dye fabrics.
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Looms and learning
Initially importing high quality looms our local carpenters helped us build more, and expert tutors from South Africa empowered our first cohort.
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Singer sewing
With the help of Tool Aid, we provided extremely robust, commercial machines that weren’t dependent on an electricity supply to work effectively.
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Accommodation
Many of our young women are also single mothers. With the trade centre and accommodation, they can support each other and live on site.
New weaving collection
Every item is lovingly made on site by our amazing team of trainers and apprentices. Beautifully unique cushions, blankets, rugs and more (as shown below) will be available to purchase soon! Our online shop is currently under construction so you will soon be able to purchase and have your own Nayamba original, knowing your donation goes directly to improving the lives of the Nayamba Community.
