David Avido, the creator of the Lookslike Avido clothing brand and The Avido Foundation, has made a remarkable impact within Nigeria and globally. Avido has overseen operations and provided leadership for sustainable program implementation. The Avido Foundation has placed these programs to inspire youths to live a life free of crime and idleness. Through this, households are able to generate income, further giving back to theie community. Here is how The Avido Foundation and Lookslike Avido are aiding Kibera. 

The Avido Foundation

Avido had the desire to create an NGO that would bring additional aid to Kibera locals who are in need of a brighter future. A group of committed, young individuals who are hungry to make a difference in developing communities by creating innovative ways to end the cycle of poverty established the organization in 2021. Lookslike Avido expresses David Avido’s message through the crafting of beautiful handmade pieces in Kibera. Here is how Looklikes Avido is aiding Kibera.

5 Ways Looklikes Avido is Giving Back to Kibera

• Creating Jobs: Looklikes Avido employs 12 local tailors on a project-by-project basis. As the clothing brand expands, its objective is to generate long-term employment for people.
• Upholding the Community: Looklikes Avido has created 74 school uniforms and funded tuition for 10 students. Along with mentoring young people, it also organizes cleaning activities.
• Eliminating Fabric Waste: All of the organization’s unused materials help create free COVID-19 masks for the people of Kibera or shopping bags or it donates them to local tailoring classes.
• Investing: The organization reinvests 20% of its profits into localizing the value chain. It does this in Kibera and includes investments in product photo shoots, artist collaborations and item tailoring.
• COVID-19 Initiative: In 2020, approximately 600 food distributions and 23,000 free face masks were provided to the residents of Kibera in collaboration with the Uweza Foundation. 

About the Avido Foundation

The Avido Foundation itself is a non-governmental organization based in Kibera. The majority of their initiatives serve to specifically target mothers and children who live in the Kibera slum. The number of Nigerians living in poverty stands at more than 133 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and that figure represents 63% of the nation’s population. Avido’s efforts focus on eradicating poverty by educating children and empowering the people affected with tailoring and fashion design skills. Here are four programs that the Avido Foundation provides that are aiding Kibera.

4 of The Avido Foundation’s Programs

1. Vocational Training: Tailors at Lookslike Avido provide training to the deaf community and young women in tailoring. The course lasts approximately six months. At the end of the program, individuals gain the skills necessary to improve their finances and decrease their dependency on family members.
2. Helping Students: The Avido Organization identifies pupils who may drop out because of unpaid school fees in cooperation with Kibera’s primary schools. Numerous Kibera families cannot afford to put their children in school due to high unemployment rates within Kibera and Nigeria. The Avido Foundation assists and supports children throughout their whole academic careers.
3. Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy: The Avido Foundation has provided a safe place as well as exercises including yoga for youths living in Kibera. This ensures that they can express their emotions and share their hardships openly. Avido’s goal is to assist in eliminating the stigma associated with discussing mental health.
4. Emergency Relief: The Avido Foundation has invested itself in organizing fundraising campaigns for emergency relief, such as extinguishing fires, combating flooding and addressing food distribution issues that have consistently affected Kibera.

Building imaginative futures and empowering the people of Kibera are the primary motivations behind The Avido Foundation and the global fashion brand LooksLike Avido. The Avido Foundation is one of the many NGOs that are changing the world.

– Lauryn Defreitas
Photo: Flickr