Reafric Social Enterprise: Producing quality durable shoes from waste

Reafric is a Kibera slum-based social enterprise that utilizes fifty percent of waste materials to produce quality and durable shoes and distributes non-usable materials to other recycling companies. The shoes are made from recycled Kitenge clothes, tires, tailors, and recycled leather, suede, jeans from carpenters, handcrafted, and sewn by local Kibera artisans. They are eco-friendly and fashionable and sold in both global and local markets.

Reafric cuts across environmental, education, gender, youth, and talent empowerment issues. The organization trains youth and women’s groups to make the shoes which means the generation of a sustainable income for them and their families.

The shoes are produced using fair labour practices with the end goal of creating sustainable incomes for skilled artisans and investing in educating bright needy students and nurturing the talents in schools while promoting the behavior change campaign within the highly affected Kibera slum community.

We reinvest ten percent (10%) of the revenue we generate back to the community through scholarships and behavior change campaigns. This is aimed at helping youths to make informed choices in particular in areas of social-related issues like reproductive health, drugs, sex, and alcohol abuse, and peer pressure, and related issues like avoiding crime, ethnic division, election riots and destruction of properties. (Julius Otieno, Founder)