25 Chiawa Safaris

OUR JOURNEY THROUGH AFRICA’S WORLD OF BOTANICALS AND ESSENTIAL OILS

Writer: Zillah Voss Photography: Azimai

Our story starts with Africa...and plants and trees. Along the way it involves two 30-somethings—one who had always wanted to make soap and candles and the other with a passion for African culture and tradition—a fascination for the benefits of natural oils, a fabulous team, and a lot of laughter.

We began by burying our heads in second-hand books and scrolling through ‘how to make natural soap’ online forums, feeding our thirst for knowledge on this intriguing subject. With soap-making and chandler courses eventually under our belt, we invested in a few key ingredients we knew we needed and set to work experimenting with our own recipes. Our kitchen was taken over with waxes and oils, wicks and soap moulds, and eventually our soap and candles were ready for the market. Big moment... even bigger was discovering people who believed in what we were doing and were coming back for more of our Azimai creations! We were now gripped, and excited to spread our wings with our newly-found passion. We made the move from our kitchen to a nearby workshop space...Azimai finally had its very own home.

It was obvious to both of us from the start what our values were for the backbone of Azimai—we made a promise to ourselves, and to our customers: ‘All Azimai products are to be made with ethically sourced, natural and indigenous ingredients, all of which are harmless to the environment. No palm oil. No parabens. No animal testing. No paraffin wax. We make everything by hand, and we make everything with care.’

The goal of Azimai is to share all that African botanicals and essential oils have to offer by bringing the spirit of this ancient continent into your home, at the same time benefiting your health, your wellbeing and your happiness. Azimai celebrates Africa’s rich heritage of medicinal plants and trees, and we pride ourselves on our unique combinations of oils from the pods of the rejuvenating baobab and the nourishing marula fruit; the purifying moringa seeds and the protective mongongo nuts; the spicy bark of the cinnamon tree and the intoxicating aromas of jasmine and lemongrass. There are so many beautifully scented oils to work with— the world of African botanicals is endless.

Having started out focusing solely on mastering the recipes for soap and scented candles, we became curious to see what else Azimai could offer when it came to expanding our products. More research, more experimenting, and we came up with moisturising lip balms using natural Zambian beeswax and African butters, a super seductive African botanical hair oil, scented candles poured into recycled, hand-cut and hand-painted bottles, and one of our new best sellers is the Azimen beard oil and beard balm range. It’s been important to us to share what we have discovered and learnt on our Azimai journey, and we’ve been lucky enough to find three remarkable members of our extraordinary Mfuwe community to do just that. Together we’ve created a little family in the corner of the Luangwa—sharing ideas and skills, always developing and improving, and laughing along the way. The company wouldn’t be where it is today without this camaraderie, and the workshop definitely wouldn’t be filled with so much joyful singing either, that’s for sure!

If you’re passing through South Luangwa, you’ll be able to smell the scents of these mesmerising oils yourself, learn all about them and take some home with you, too.

Writer: Karen Beattie Photography: Project Luangwa

Growing up in Zambia can be challenging for both sexes, with the transition from childhood to adulthood presenting many hurdles. Girls, particularly in rural areas, may face many issues that not only prevent them reaching their potential, but also put their health at risk: abuse; low self-esteem; pressure for sexual favours; poor self-confidence; less access to education than their brothers; little or no access to menstrual pads; early marriages and pregnancies and so on.

The cycle of poverty starts early, and girls are most vulnerable during adolescence. Born into poor families, many girls fail to stay in school, particularly after primary level, and there is a general attitude that girls will never achieve parity with boys regarding academic exam results. Their poor self-esteem and resulting reduced expectations, often exacerbates this. Project Luangwa (PL) believes that it is necessary for every young person to be equipped with the right information to make informed choices, as these key periods in young adulthood determine much of a child’s later life, including their health and their degree of poverty. Good preparation and good decisions will provide more choice, more freedom, better health and a better chance of the child reaching his or her potential.

That is why, in 2013, Project Luangwa started a girls’ club for twenty-five girls at Mfuwe Day Secondary School. Today we have four girls’ clubs, with another ten opening at other schools coming under our umbrella. Now run by Fwilane Banda, a qualified social worker and PL’s gender support manager, the clubs provide a safe place where girls can learn about caring for themselves, keeping themselves safe, and coping with whatever life throws their way. It is a place where they can support each other, ask those embarrassing questions and receive confidential counselling. it became obvious that true gender equality can only be achieved by engaging boys as well as girls. Boys need to learn about girls, and girls about boys. They both need to understand one another, recognise each other’s qualities and gain mutual respect before gender equality can be reached. In short, Project Luangwa believes that by empowering girls, but leaving out the boys, the gender gap is only widened.

So ‘Auntie’ Fwilane started a boys’ club, and it was soon very obvious that boys need support, too. Just like the girls, the boys needed a safe place to ask questions, to seek support and to learn about girls. Whilst most girls’ and boys’ clubs meet separately, they sometimes come together for some very interesting group discussions and activities. They debate such topics as early marriage, together write drama on many ‘taboo’ subjects which they take out to villages, and always celebrate international events such as the Day of the Girl or Menstrual Hygiene Day, together. In fact the boys will now talk comfortably about menstruation and go out of their way to support the girls. It’s a small step, but one in the right direction.