You are not many to know, but the No Logo Festival is involved in Africa, with young people in difficulty. Indeed, since the first edition of the festival, we have decided to turn to the association A-freak-A for the realization of most of the merchandising of the festival. So no more big companies specializing in mass textiles, no more Asian markets and hello organic cotton and solidarity approach!
HOW DOES IT WORK ?
The partnership we have with A-Freak-A consists in paying a percentage of the global order of goods placed with the partner service provider to the association in order to enable it to work with two professional integration centres in the Dakar region of Senegal. These two centres welcome young people in difficulty to enable them to get back on track while learning a trade in order to ensure their professional integration when they leave the centre and not to return to the streets. In the Mbao and Ndem centres, young people have a choice between CAP and BEP in sewing, welding and mechanics.
If our clothes (t-shirt, sweater, tank tops, etc.) are manufactured in France by a service provider considering the necessary quantities, we delegate the manufacture of a large part of the accessories to the sewing workshops of Ndem and Mbao. In this way, the young people can perfect their technique while doing work that will then be sold at the festival. You can find scarves, tote bag, backpack, shoulder strap pockets, and cup holders directly handmade in Senegalese workshops.
A FRANCE – AFRIQUE RELATIONSHIP
The mission of the Mbao and Ndem centres is twofold. They help young Senegalese people in difficulty but also a large number of French people every year. Indeed, some are sent to Mbao and Ndem for a minimum of 6 months. For these young people in distress who have tried everything, it is a way to cut off their difficult living environment and experience a real culture shock. For 6 months, they live in a Senegalese family, learn a trade at the centre and are confronted with other young people with different problems. French and Senegalese learn from each other to come out of this experience stronger.
MEETING AT MBAO
This summer, we went to the village of Mbao to discuss directly with the teams on site, visit the infrastructure, understand how the partnership between No Logo and A-freak-A has been beneficial over the past six years. We then discovered that these centres are completely independent and self-financed, like the festival, but this time it is not a choice. Despite the lack of state support, these men and women continue to move mountains to help give a chance to troubled youth who often simply need an extended hand.
