Episode 14: Aisha's Natural Seaweed Product Business in Tanzania

In this episode, Qudsia Alvi, HerStart Gender Equality Fellow in Tanzania, speaks with Aisha Baker Makungu, founder of Isha Product - an enterprise that creates beauty and hygiene products from seaweed including soaps, lotions and shampoos. Aisha discusses her future goals for her business and how YCI's HerStart program empowered her to become a social entrepreneur. 

This episode was conducted in Swahili and the English voiceover is provided by Ilham Haji.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to Youth Challenge Internationals Hair Start Hair Story podcast series Youth Challenge International O Y C I launched the Hair Start Innovate the Future program in 2020 as part of our initiative to advance women's equality globally, our goal is to provide 10,000 women in Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda with the resources and supports they need to successfully launch and grow their social businesses. We are sharing real stories of young women who are leading change in their communities. Y CI's Hair Innovate The Future Program is funded in passed by the government of Canada to progress Canada's feminist international assistance policy. Learn more@yci.org or hair.org.

Speaker 2: 1:02

Hello, my name's Kuia and I'm a gender equality fellow working for Youth Challenge International in Tanzania. Zanzibar as part of the Her Story podcast series. Today I'm going to be interviewing Ayesha of Isha products, who is a her Start Catalyst fund recipient.

Speaker 3: 1:20

My name is Ilham Abha. I am a program and volunteer support at Youth Challenge International Zans Tanzania. I would like to translate the Ayesha's answers from Sohi to English language during her podcasts.

Speaker 2: 1:37

Hello Ayesha and thank you so much for joining me. Would you mind introducing yourself and telling me your full name, age, and occupation

Speaker 3: 1:48

[inaudible] My name is[inaudible]. I am 29 years old. I cultivate and process it.

Speaker 2: 1:55

So Isha, would you mind telling me a little bit about your business and what it is that you

Speaker 4: 2:01

Dok?

Speaker 3: 2:02

My business is to cultivate seaweed and process it for making different products such as sos, lotions, shampoo, and vis.

Speaker 2: 2:12

So aha, would you mind telling me a little bit about where you got the idea behind your business and what inspired you to start this particular business?

Speaker 3: 2:24

I started this business after seeing a lot of seaweeds around my community and we do not benefit from it and we sell it at a very low price. Therefore I got an inspiration of using the seaweeds, making different products and selling them to the villages to an approach.

Speaker 2: 2:46

Thank you so much for sharing that. So when it comes to day-to-day business operations, would you mind sharing with us how your business operates on a day-to-day basis?

Speaker 3: 2:59

I operate my business by producing all the products from my shop and showcase all the products from here. I also use social media to post my products, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. However, I supply my products through different shops and there are some people who call me to place their orders and I do deliver it to them. That's how I operate my day-to-day business.

Speaker 2: 3:31

So would you mind telling me a little bit about how you create your products, how you go about making is Asia's products and how you deliver them to your target audience?

Speaker 3: 3:45

I create my products by using various natural and organic materials. For instance, when creating sos, I use coconut oil, seaweed, and cal oil. In the case of a scrub I use seaweed, sandalwood and oil. However, in case of hair oil, I use fresh and clean coconut, seaweed and black car seeds. Therefore I use natural and organic materials. I get the customers by posting the product through the social medias and also supplying them at their convenient location.

Speaker 2: 4:27

So Isha, would you mind sharing with me some of the challenges that you are facing or may have faced when getting started? And as part of these challenges, um, would you mind giving examples of any personal family or community challenges that you faced or are still facing?

Speaker 3: 4:47

The challenges that I face, firstly with the lack of awareness within my community regarding seaweed, the villages are not aware about the seaweed. They don't even know the benefits of it and when you make the products, they ignore them to the side of the government. There are many and higher taxes, whatever you go to register the product, it needs a lot of money for only one product. So if you want to register the products, it'll cost a lot of money and at the end it takes you a step back and you get discouraged as it eats on your capital. Another challenge that I face is the lack of cutting machine for my soap. That would give my soap a great shape to attract the customers. At the moment I use a small tool to cut the soap with my hands, which allows the soap to not have the physical outlook to attract the customers.

Speaker 2: 5:47

So when it comes to personal and professional goals and how her start has helped you, Aisha, would you mind telling me any specific personal professional goals that her, her start has helped you reach?

Speaker 4: 5:58

I start to live on this idea

Speaker 3: 6:02

How start helped me feel empowered. I can take many orders and do them since I got the funds. Also, it helped me to become more confident and stand freely in front of people and talk about my business and the products that I produce.

Speaker 2: 6:23

Could you tell me what accomplishments you're most proud of? Whether it's personal, professional or educational

Speaker 3: 6:33

The accomplishment that I'm proud of. Firstly, I know how to run the business. I also understand the difference between the normal and social businesses. I'm so proud, proud of owning my business, which allows me to get a high income without depending on anyone and helping my family. That is what I am most proud of.

Speaker 4: 6:55

I am.

Speaker 2: 6:59

Which individuals in your life played a really important role in your personal growth? And can you describe how they helped you?

Speaker 3: 7:09

My family played a great role to help me because before joining the program I was quite unsure whether it was the right decision to take or not, but they were the ones who inspired me to go and wished me success. Also, the shop owners that place the orders motivated me as I would take my products to their shop and they would help me sell them to their customer base.

Speaker 4: 7:37

Do you what support,

Speaker 2: 7:39

So Isha, how do you wish to expand or grow your business and what do you envision for the future of IHAs products?

Speaker 3: 7:48

I envision to own the large area with machines of processing the sea products and to provide the sea education to all people who are in need of knowing it. So that's the SeaWorld can be known everywhere and all products to be supplied everywhere around the world. I would sell my products outside Zanzibar and rich places like

Speaker 2: 8:14

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us? Aisha,

Speaker 4: 8:19

I

Speaker 3: 8:19

Want to thank has for their help and for empowering us. It should not be the end. They should keep on helping us since we are in need of their help and we need more education on improving our businesses since it's her has that helped us launch our businesses. I hug them to continue providing support even as we, as we come to an end of the third phase of the program, they should help us until our business grow and in position to help others.

Speaker 2: 8:51

Thank you so much for your time today, Isha. We really appreciate that you sat down to speak with us about your business and your experience with her start. We wish you the best and hope that your business grows and becomes even more successful and that you continue to inspire young women in your community and across sanbar. Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 1: 9:17

Thanks for joining us today and learning about how you challenge International has partnered with young women to advance gender equality globally and create a social entrepreneurship ecosystem with the positive impact for all. If you enjoy this, start Innovate the Future podcast episode. Please subscribe and share our episodes on social media. A special thanks to the fellows that volunteered their time in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda who help create these episodes. Y CIS Hair Innovate. The future and fellowship programs are funded through the government of Canada's volunteer corporation program, providing skilled Canadians opportunities to volunteer with global partners and advanced Canada's feminist international assistance policy. Join us and thousands of young people around the globe creating a better future together. Learn more@yci.org or headset.org.