Feza tried everything for ezema until clay worked

Miriam Feza is a 22-year-old refugee from Democratic Republic of the Congo who relocated to Uganda in 2015.

Unlike many other refugees who wait for handouts from supporting organisations and government, youthful Feza did not sit back and lament about her fate.

“I wanted to do something, be my own boss and change my life rather than depend on handouts,” Ms Feza recalls.

Six months ago, Feza realised her dream of becoming self-reliant and is now a proud proprietor of Clay Cosmo Company.

She produces natural and organic soap using green clay that effectively works on eczema, psoriasis and other skin related complications.

The soap is made from locally sourced green clay and transformed into an enriching natural remedy for skin diseases.

Motivation
So, what really motivated Feza to opt for clay which many people still see as mud or dirt?
Sharing her story with Prosper Magazine, Feza said growing up, she had a skin condition called Eczema- a medical condition in which patches of skin become rough and inflamed with blisters which causes itching and bleeding.

“I would scratch my hands up to a state when I would bleed. I would feel uncomfortable whenever I was around people,” she recalls.

So, when she relocated to Uganda, Feza participated in a boot camp at the Social Innovation Academy (SINA) in Mpigi.

SINA tackles failing education and resulting in unemployment in Uganda by creating self-organised and responsible learning spaces, where disadvantaged youth unleash their potential for positive change as social entrepreneurs.

“While at the boot camp at SINA, I structured this idea of processing clay into mask powder and clay soap,” she recalls.

Clay turned medicine
Much as Feza had knowledge about the benefits of the clay back then from her home in DR Congo, it didn’t occur to her that she would one day use it as a medicine to treat her ailment and later help others.

“I was stuck; I didn’t know that people would buy or use my products. More so, it was something new on the market,” she said.

To entice people to appreciate, buy and use her products, Feza has embarked on reading several studies about soil.

“I am working with Paat Soil Clinic Ltd in Kyengera along Masaka Road to learn more and understand clay products,” she shares.

Her experience at Paat Soil Clinic and interfacing with other pharmacists in other fields has helped Feza understand and analyse clay.

So, the first problem was more about understanding the product itself.

In Uganda, clay is a delicacy for pregnant women. People hardly know about its other use as a cosmetic.

Products
Feza is basically involved in the production of cosmetic clay facial mask and clay soap all good in treating Eczema.

She packs the clay facial mask (powder) in 300 grams containers each costing Shs20,000 while the smaller containers of 100 grams cost Shs8,000 each.

With the facial mask, Feza only adds moringa powder because of its nutritional components that are good for the skin.

Her newest product is clay bar soap which can be used by people with pimples, eczema, and a lot of other skin challenges.

She hopes to continue researching on other types of clay to produce other products on the market.

Challenges
Feza’s biggest challenge is people are still skeptical about clay as a treatment for skin complications such as eczema.

“When some people get to know that clay is the main ingredient used in my products; they tend to second-rate it as something they cannot use. They ask so many questions and at the end of the day, they fail to buy,” Feza shares.

The other challenge Feza experiences is in appealing to the local market.

She says: “Foreigners have supported me most yet the locals who were my primary target are shunning the products.”

Prospect
In just months, Feza’s products have handed her a steady income while stabilizing others’ skin problems.

She believes her brand will be much bigger than the existing brands in Uganda’s cosmetic industry in the next five years.

The project employed teenage mothers who are her target market. She also hopes to recruit more.

PROCESS

Production. Primarily, Feza and her colleague purchase the clay from youth at Uganda’s border with DR Congo, since the type they use is rare in Uganda.

After, they transport the clay to their work station at SINA in Mpigi where they grind the clay into powder.
When grinding is done, they then get the powder which they use as the main raw material for cosmetic facial mask and soap all proven to treat Eczema.
Feza says: “We do work with younger mothers to make hand-made Eczema clay soap.”

Market and money
Feza says that when the idea cropped up, she did not have a lot of money to start. Yet she needed to travel all the way to DR Congo to collect the raw material – clay.

“The little starting capital, to be precise was Shs300,000. A bigger percentage was largely injected into research on the product; to take the clay samples to the soil clinic and pharmacies,” she says.

As luck would bring, when she started producing the products, her maiden production was bought by a friend from South Africa.

“This South African friend told me that Eczema is a big problem due to the bitter cold temperatures in the country. I gave her 13 products, eight of them were for 300kg and the other six were 100g,” Feza says.

Just six months into production, Feza is overwhelmed by the demand. This was stirred by her recent recognition as one of the winners of the Social Impact Award.

“My phone is ringing most of the time; people are placing orders for the products while others want to know how I make the products. Currently, I have over 30 customers who have placed their orders,” a beamy Feza shares.

She is optimistic that word of mouth will open her doors to another client.

She already in contact with some people in South Africa and Botswana who are also involved in the cosmetic industry with dreams to expand.