Najjingo skills hard of hearing individuals in interior crafts, fashions

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Aminata Najjingo designs and produces objects using a range of wood for different purposes through creating unique authentic art and home decoration, also with a background as a fashion designer.

She works with a team of five at the workshop in Ntinda, Kampala. Najjingo named her business Amylia Homeware Designer and Woodworker.

“Our aesthetic is modern-rustic. Our designs are mainly out of wood and we love to incorporate other natural or organic materials like burlap, jute, rattan, Pampas grass and wood slices for a warm cosy aesthetic in our customers’ homes,” Najjingo says.

They specialise in wooden rustic functional and decorative homeware ranging from wall hangings, wooden clocks, mirrors, home signs and wooden kitchenware like trays, bowls, coasters, napkin holders, candle stands, key hangers and planters.

Also, they do wall art, gifts suitable for any occasion, and generic messages like quotes, names or verses.

Their goal is to provide beautiful sentimental home accessories to customers as long as impacting the livelihoods of the deaf community.

Najjingo has a certificate in sign language from Deaf Link Uganda, Kamwokya a city suburb of Kampala in September 2022 which facilitates her work with the deaf.

Aminata Najjingo displaying home interior crafts designed from wood. (Credit: Fred Mubanda)

“I have a passion for working with the deaf [hard of hearing] community because I discovered they are committed, creative, determined, hardworking and do not take opportunities for granted,” she says.

She has experience of six years in fashion and design. Najjingo also went to LISOF Fashion Design School and Retail Education Institute-Johannesburg, South Africa in 2015 and pursued a Higher Certificate in Fashion.

Achievements

Najjingo says she has trained over 15 hard of hearing individuals in home interior crafts and fashions. They are now self-employed. She has also strengthened business connections, built self-confidence, shared knowledge and information, and accessed innovation skills through networking.

Challenges

Among the things that eat into her profits is the inadequate capital to buy advanced machines to produce more products in a time when the customers have made orders. Najjingo is also wary of the place where they work, which is small.

Mistakes and lessons

Najjingo recalls the mistake of managing or meeting clients’ deadlines. In the beginning, she could fail to meet deadlines because she could not communicate clearly with her clients about the scope, timeline, and deliverables of the project or task.

She has learnt how to plan her work accordingly and decide when to take on a task by having a clear idea about when she expects to deliver her work.

Another fault was implementing the right pricing strategies because she could not price her products properly to identify all her costs, Najjingo has learnt about conducting market research to determine which pricing structure is best and is involved in short courses or attending workshops about business management.

Workplace Adjustments

Najjingo says she has attended hard of hearing awareness training workshops to learn how to work with them in the environment associated with electric machinery. She has provided alternative methods of alerting them such as flashing lights and vibrating pager.

“But they have a sense of vibration in case the machine is switched off or it has stopped working,” She notes.

Risks

Since they use acacia wood which is dense and hard, makes it the perfect wood to be used to design most of their products. Najjingo says if one fails to get a reliable or trustworthy supplier, they end up purchasing fake wood, which can be damaged by moisture and humidity, fading due to sunlight exposure and unsuitable for painting.

Best practices

To create an inclusive workplace and produce quality products, Najjingo maintains open communication with her deaf employees which help her to understand first-hand the challenges they go through and how she can support them in any way she can.

Implementing staff training which has improved staff morale, loyalty, productivity and customer service.

Earnings

The training fee for hard of hearing persons is between sh20,000 and sh30 000. Price ranges from sh20,000 to sh50,000. The maximum costs are between sh120, 000 and sh150,000. But it is negotiable, depending on the design and size of the piece.

Plans

Najjingo hopes to employ and train more hard of hearing communities through associating with their institutions and organisations nationally. She also appeals to well-wishers, non-governmental organisations or charity organisations to support their services.

Advice

She advises fellow entrepreneurs to be passionate as business leaders which can make them persist even during the hardest times can enable them to work harder no matter what.