The story is told of a delegation of elders from a Kenyan pastoral community who paid a visit to a former freedom fighter serving as a livestock minister in Kenya’s post-independence government. Their spokesman presented him with a pair of sandals as a gift. The sandals, popularly known as ‘Akala’, according to the spokesman, were not only tough but had been made by a craftsman from the tribe - a source of pride to the newly independent nation. Presenting them, he went ahead to explain to their host that the sandals symbolized resilience and endurance exhibited by the freedom fighters during the protracted war for liberation from the British Colonial yoke. Indeed, none of the explanations wavered even an inch from the truth, as the traditional Akala sandal, commonly worn by pastoral tribes such as the Maasai in Kenya, is made from used tires. It is tough footwear that withstands all weather conditions, sharp desert thorns and is resistant to wear and tear.

There is little documented history about this wonder sandal, but footwear made from used tires has existed in various forms in many parts of the world for generations.

It was against this backdrop that two American students based in Kenya, Benson Wikyo and Mathew Meyer, conceptualized and put in place a unique project for recycling waste tires in the sprawling Korogocho slum of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, back in 1995. The project, dubbed Akala Designs, endeavored to protect the environment while creating jobs for residents of the deprived shantytown, whose name means a place without hope in the local dialect. Akala Designs uses discarded tires from a huge dumpsite adjacent to the slum.

Project a Boon To Slum Residents

The project provides job opportunities for the approximately half a million residents of the slum. Life in the slum, where residents live on less than a dollar a day is difficult, compelling many to live for the moment, with hope that the next day will take care of itself. Violence, drug abuse and crime coupled with unhygienic conditions are the order of the day. Social amenities such as clean water, electricity, hospitals and schools are just but sweet unrealistic dreams for the inhabitants of the slum.

Akala Designs began to infuse creative elements into the traditional Akala sandal in 1995 - the year of its inception. Rubber being an easier material to work on, they added adjustable straps to the sandal in addition to a more comfortable inner sole derived from leather or denim fabric, while retaining the durability and toughness that has made the used tire sandal popular throughout the world.

Cross- stitching and beading the sandals, also known as adding maridadi (Swahili for beautiful designs) to the sandal, has further enhanced their attractiveness. The sandals, which are not costly, have a large market locally and abroad. As of August of last year, approximately $US 33,000 worth of sandals had been exported.

The project employs 30 sandal makers. The young sandal makers can earn about US Dollars 30 per month, which on local scale is a descent income. One sandal maker testifies that he uses his income to take care of his family and still has extra money to buy personal effects.

By providing new employment opportunities while helping prepare the youth population in the ever increasing global networked economy, Meyers, the project co-founder, says the project gives Kenyans the experience of running a small scale business and provides an avenue for them to share an aspect of their culture with the rest of the world. Designed to get young people from the slum off the streets where their number had been steadily soaring before the new Kenyan government intervened by establishing rehabilitation centers, the project has given them a ray of hope by engaging them in an enterprising activity.

An Educational Advantage

The project is multipronged, for not only are the underprivileged provided with a conducive working environment, they are also accorded a means to attain a basic education - the latter being offered in an informal school initiated by the project.

“We also teach them computer skills apart from imparting to them skills on sandal making”, says James Kariuki, an instructor at the project’s workshop based inside the slum.

Although the project began working mostly with young men, a sharp increase in sales has enabled it to engage young mothers as sandal makers. The majority of the sandal makers are the breadwinners in their families. The ability to eke a living out of the project gives the families of sandal-makers better opportunities for educational and economical advancement. “I have been able to support my family and fulfill my cherished endeavor of seeing my siblings go through school,” say 18-year-old Aden Hassan.

Conserving the Environment by Making Sandals

While the socio-economic benefits of Akala Designs are impressive, perhaps more important are the positive contributions to the conservation of the environment.

With the world reeling from an estimated 240 million car and truck tires discarded each year, and over two billion already collected in stock piles where they are susceptible to fires that cause an enormous amount of air pollution in addition to acting as mosquito breeding points, Akala Designs is an initiative whose relevance can not be denied. The major lesson emanating from the project is that waste tires, far from being a burden to the society, can be a benefit.

The project does not dwell on reducing the strain of waste tires to the environment alone. It also sensitizes youth to the need to conserve the environment. By providing them with gainful employment while teaching them to respect the environment, the project leaders hope the Akala project will offer a virtuous cycle of environmentally friendly, sustainable social and economic development in Korogocho slums.

According to Francis Onyango, the projects, Coordinator, one important aspect of the success of the project is a well thought-out profit-making incentive for stakeholders throughout the value chain. He says 30 percent of the sales revenue goes to sandal-making trainees, 30 percent to administrative functions and 40 percent ploughed back into the project. This ensures that education and training will be available for future employees.

Project’s Success Lies in Good Management

To safeguard the project from the excesses of corruption and ensure its sustainability, the responsibility of overseeing it lies in the hands of a group of community leaders. Another factor that has enabled the project to tick is the willingness to change local practice to conform to the commercial standards of the developed world.

A creative approach in seeking new solutions to age-old problems is yet another explanation for the success of the Akala project.  Despite the fact that the activities of the Akala project are not likely to fully eradicate economical and environmental problems afflicting Korogocho slum, current achievements are something to smile about. This is a living and shining example of employing local solutions to escape the trap of a vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation and environmental degradation that stalks residents of informal settlements in Kenya.

Sources: 

• East African Standard: April 3rd, 2001.

• People Daily, Nairobi, Kenya, September 2001.

• Earth Island Journal, Summer 2002, vol 17. No. 2

Wanzala Bahati Justus is a freelance journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Your emails will be forwarded to him by contacting the editor at: ScienceTech@islam-online.net. 

 

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