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The Incredible Story of David Avido of Kenya, 24 Year old designing for the Grass Roots to the Stars

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By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

 

 

#Africa, February 2, 2023 – One Kenyan designer began a sewing business out of the slums where he was born; now he dresses some of the Caribbean and Africa’s most famous faces.

Born the oldest son of a single mother and from Kibera Nairobi, David Avido Ochieng did not have an easy start. In Kibera, the largest urban slum in East Africa opportunities for international success are hard to come by and yet Avido can now say he has dressed the likes of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Beyoncé, Chronixx, Romain Virgo, Tarrus Riley, Chris Martin, Ty Dolla Sign, Koffee and many more.

As explained on his website, David dropped out of school to work and support his family quite young. In just first form he was working on a construction site but he knew he wanted more from life. After quitting his job he danced and saved what he could and tried his best to complete his education.

He told Vogue magazine: “When I started dancing I used to save money in order to go back to high school, with the little that I could get from dancing and my mom’s money from doing work as a house help, we were able to raise 15,000 shillings and with that, I joined an adult school and skipped forms two, three and four.”

David picked up a sewing machine to make costumes and realized his talent.  By 2015, his brand LookslikeAvido was born. He completed a fashion & design diploma at Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts and began to sew incredible pieces right at home in Kibera.  Even as his brand is globally recognized, Kibera is where his workshop remains; David says, his homeland is his great inspiration.

“There is no barrier if you believe in your talent and take the next step. I want to encourage and create beauty, where people don’t expect.”

Talented and thoughtful Avido is well aware of the stereotypes surrounding him, his home and the black community globally.

“We know about injustice and violence, prejudice, racial and social discrimination – we experience it within Kenya and we experience it globally, as people look at us as the poor, the uneducated, the needy,” he said.

Featured in Vogue, CNN and other international publications, Avido remains connected to his origins in a tangible way and as his success grows his roots just go deeper. Twenty per cent of all sales of his jackets and other clothing items go directly back to Kibera; his website explains ​that all the tailoring, product photoshoots and collaborations ‘is all done here in Kibra.’

There is no fabric waste from his garments, instead, scraps are repurposed into masks and shopping bags for residents, all his tailors are local residents, a portion of profits are used to pay school fees and Avido and his team put in extra time to make school uniforms as well.

On his website, is a photo of him sitting around a sewing machine, his worktable resting on hard-packed earth with presumably a group of family and friends surrounding him, a source of pride. The introspective photograph could have been taken in Nairobi, Trinidad or Barbados, so nostalgic is the picture, the bench and the story of community success that it represents.

In a video posted to his YouTube, David sits at his new work desk, and beside him hangs a rack of clothes in the cramped space that serves as his kitchen as well.

“I’m the firstborn of Kibera,” He explains, “Every kid in Kibera is looking up to me— my main dream is to open up a place where I can inspire people to work.”

David has a dozen employees and is listed in Beyonce’s directory of black businesses; with an uncommon wisdom, the designer knows that his successes so far are not parking spaces but rather stepping stones as he faces his future announcing that the journey, for him, continues.

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Africa

Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Zanzibar calls for justice to become a reality for all 2.5 billion Commonwealth citizens

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March 9, 2024 – In her remarks to the opening ceremony on 4 March 2024, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, told more than 400 ministers, senior government officials, and other dignitaries from across the world’s six regions:

“It is our responsibility to drive forward the paradigm shift agreed at our last meeting in Mauritius to deliver on the Commonwealth Access to Justice Declaration and ensure that people of the Commonwealth know they have access to justice because they can taste it, see it and feel it.”

In light of escalating crises around the world, she commended the work of Commonwealth law ministers while calling for even greater emphasis to be placed on justice as an “essential strength” in overcoming the current challenges.

The Secretary-General urged ministers ahead of their deliberations to dig deeper with rigour and courage to ensure that the commitments are not just words on paper but the lived experience of all.

A timely opportunity

The meeting was inaugurated by H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, who underscored the crucial role of law in addressing unprecedented global challenges and described the meeting as a timely opportunity to cooperate on strengthening legal systems.

She said:

“This forum will open doors for further collaboration, innovation, and collective action as we strive to meet the evolving needs of our societies.

“Together, we can build a better future where justice prevails, and the rights of every individual are protected to sustain sustainable development across Commonwealth nations.”

Reflecting on the meeting’s theme, ‘How digitalisation paves the way for the development of people-centred access to justice’, the President highlighted her government’s use of technology to enhance legal services, including through the rollout of time-saving e-courts.

She also spoke about the ‘Mama Samia Legal Aid Campaign’, which offers legal aid and information to citizens on various issues, including gender-based violence and dispute resolution.

Hosted by the United Republic of Tanzania, the biennial meeting is the principal decision-making body for law ministers from the 56 Commonwealth countries.

Over the next four days, ministers will deliberate on the policy and strategic actions required to address access to justice challenges, especially for women, people with disabilities and those living in poverty.

Ministers will also exchange innovative practices on evidence-based policymaking and the effective use of digital resources to bridge gaps and enhance the delivery of justice services.

Justice gap

More than 5.1 billion people – two-thirds of the world’s population – lack meaningful access to justice. Lost income and stress-related illness due to seeking legal redress can cost countries up to 3 per cent of their gross domestic product every year.

Hon Ambassador Dr Pindi H. Chana, the meeting’s Chair and the United Republic of Tanzania’s Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, said the gathering would facilitate a meaningful dialogue to overcome legal hurdles facing countries.

She added:

“From promoting access to justice to strengthening legal frameworks, our discussions over the coming days will contribute to shaping the future of law and governance within the Commonwealth countries.

“Together, we can build a Commonwealth where justice and equality reign supreme.”

A moment of silence was observed during the ceremony to honour the late President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, who passed away on 29 February 2024.

Alongside the meeting, a series of side events are being organised to ensure diverse perspectives, from disability inclusion to digital trade law, contribute to ministerial discussions.

A statement summarising the meeting outcomes will be issued on 8 March 2024, which will support countries in realising the mandates set out in the Commonwealth Access to Justice Declaration – a commitment by all 56 member countries to ensure universal access to justice.

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Africa

Kenya multinational force to arrive in February in Haiti 

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

 

#Kenya, December 21, 2023 – Saving Haiti from the current crisis is becoming less of just spoken word and more of real action as Kenya is scheduled to send more than one hundred soldiers to the republic come February 2024.

This is according to reports on Sunday by Kenyan authorities, following Haiti’s visit to Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday December 13th.  The Haitian delegation was led by Mr. Frantz Elbé, Director General of the Police National D’Haiti (PNH) or Haitian National Police in English, and it included members of the High Command and Senior Officers from the Ministry of Justice.

Elbé, according to the PNH, met with the Director General of the Kenyan Police and his Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Administrative Police.

This meeting was to discuss technical details related to the deployment of the Multinational Support Mission to Security (MMAS).

Reports say that regarding the mission, Kenya is demanding the disbursement of a first portion of $230 million. Also, it is important that the potential cost of the mission is noted, that is USD$600 million, reports say.

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Africa

DRC to get Worse for Women and Children says UN report

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Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

 

#Africa, November 25, 2023 – As the country prepares for general elections in December women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are experiencing some of the worst human rights abuses in the world according to UN reports.

“The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is on track to have record levels of verified grave violations against children for a third consecutive year in 2023 – In both 2021 and 2022, DRC had the world’s highest levels of verified cases of sexual violence against children committed by armed forces and armed groups,” UNESCO explained. The 2023 levels of ‘grave abuses’ against children has risen 41 percent this year.

It’s years of armed conflict between over 100 different rebel groups both foreign and local that has precipitated the foreboding increase. The UN is describing the resulting humanitarian crises in DRC as an epidemic of gender based violence.

Armed groups have been struggling for control of the DRC ever since rebels ousted from Rwanda captured the capital of then Zaire and renamed it the DRC.

Increased tensions have followed the planned departure of UN peace keepers under the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

MONUSCO, established by the UN in 2010 had been authorized to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to ‘protect of civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence and to support the Government of the DRC in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.’

It’s another UN intervention which has been labeled a failure.

More than five million people have been displaced because of the ongoing clashes.  The situation is expected to worsen in 2024.

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