VITAL SIGNS - Part 2 Maratane Refugee Settlement, Mozambique

Collaborating with the long-term displaced people in Africa means direct engagement with and being in relationship to, some of the biggest global challenges we face; chronic poverty, hunger, social injustice, inequality, lack of education, gender-based violence and climate change.

The VITAL SIGNS project takes place with people whose lives are permanently affected by all the above hardships.

VITAL SIGNS is a project which began through invitation by UNHCR Mozambique & UNHCR Malawi to scope how our ways of thinking, working & collaborating might have a positive impact on the long-term displacement of refugees in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi and Maratane Refugee settlement in Nampula Province, Mozambique.

The refugee population represents multiple nations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia.

Scoping missions were conducted in May & October 2022 to understand the nature of life and environment in which people live and to value and co create a reciprocal way of working, through relational practice and knowledge exchange.

The projects are delivered through workshop format in the camp and via Whatsapp and Teams in between physical visits.

Workshops to date:

Workshop 1 – Mozambique October 2022 – Imagination workshop with local partners.

Workshop 2 – Mozambique, April 2023 – Embroidery, product, Film & Youth, Soap making & marketing, (UMOJA) Unity Soap, Givaudan SA. (25 refugee makers/embroidery/ 12 female refugee soap makers) – Youth Courage workshop.

Workshop 3 – Mozambique, November 2023 – Soap making workshop, (UNHCR commitment to ordering soap from the group) Embroidery workshop with local experts, identifying the gifted and talented – MADE51 lecture and presentation.

Workshop 4 - Mozambique, May 2024 - “Creating your own brand” – (designed by Nina Van Volkinburg (Course leader MA Strategic Fashion Marketing) - reciprocal project outcomes between LCF students, MA Fashion, Textiles, Technology and refugee makers.

40 refugee makers across embroidery, soap making and youth film makers.

• https://www.unhcr.org/us/countries/mozam...
• https://www.facebook.com/Livaningo.ong/
• https://ifpelac.gov.mz
• https://www.givaudan.com
• https://twitter.com/UNHCRMozambique/stat...
• https://www.sustainable-fashion.com/vita...