In the fashion sector, there is no shortage of models turned beauty entrepreneur. The pressure to look always well - and countless hours spent in the hair and make-up - provide expertise at ease with what works and what doesn't. Add a few name-recognition and that is: an opportunity for a successful product line. But the elite model (and favorite of Project Runway) Camilla Barungi puts a new twist on the theme: inspired by the interaction of the beauty of nature and the economy, it has found a way to bring business beauty rich Western consumers, but back in the rural villages in the country of origin of Uganda.
Travel Camilla Barungi in the business of beauty was perhaps inevitable. If a traditionally high colonial girl, the Fiery Barungi was weaving cosmetics in boarding school. "They were always confiscate my things!", she laughs.
Growing travel the world, she arrives in California to study Biochemistry at the University, but when she found an agent, she began modeling in San Francisco. Modeling eventually took her to New York, where Barungi was sunk in project runway season 3. Outgoing personality makes her a favourite player: "it's very fun to connect with people in this way - people forget that we models are too people!" - and it always surprises me how many people remember the show. »
But in high-functioning world of fashion from New York, the casual Barungi also knew that she had to step up his game: "all models are perfect here - they work on themselves all the time - I was always one with bad skin."
Rather than move in his Office of dermatologists, Barungi makes his past: "we always used herbs for this sort of thing, so I had my MOM send me all these things." I did find what works for me. »
When her mother sent her oil and African Moringa leaf powder, she knew had found something special - and not only for its skin complaints. Put his expertise in Biochemistry - and curiosity - to work, Barungi dug into the research: "more I studied this plant, most incredible I have found that it was".
Barungi found that African Moringa is, quite simply, the source of most nutritious plants found in nature. A complete plant, Moringa powder food contains (gram gram) 25 times the iron in spinach, 17 times the calcium in milk, 15 times the potassium in bananas, 10 times the vitamin a in carrots, 9 times the protein in the yogurt and generous portions of all vitamin B, vitamin c and Dmore than 22 amino acids, high levels of antioxidants, magnesium, zinc and selenium.
The leaves are collected, crushed into powder and dried in the shade nutritious food raw at hand, and the seeds produce an oil of fine texture, it is wonderful as a non-greasy skin moisturizer. Moringa was used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine and in the former Greece, Egypt and Rome.
But in concluding the Moringa Barungi has not only found a way to take care of her skin - it has found a new cause. For all its benefits documented, African Moringa was difficult to produce in Uganda. Years of practice agricultural colonies promote crops on a large scale and centralized systems help the funds could be cut to by bureaucrats along the way. Very little help - or trade - makes the rural tribes where Moringa is grown and harvested.
As a budding entrepreneur, Barungi found inspiration in a new economic theory. George Ayittey was inspiring a new generation of African entrepreneurs (and a legion of TED international fans) with its economic theory of "Cheetahs - vs-hippos.". In response to the inflated help system, corrupt in Africa that feeds a legacy of the colonial era centralized Ayittey encourages agile young entrepreneurs to "go where the people are" - doing business with the smaller communities where the means of production is locally owned and local tribal structures have more checks and balances to limit corruption. In collaboration with the people in these more informal tribes sectors, entrepreneurs could help their country with trade, increasing the economic independence of the poorest rural villagers.
Cultivation of Moringa is ideal for this type of business: it may be dress locally and sustainably harvested in the tribal areas of Uganda and Rwanda. With partner biochemist, Barungi can ensure that all aspects of its production are organic, raw, certified FDA, which is pleasing to Western affluent and health-conscious consumers. By increasing agricultural trade sustainable and direct, Moringa directly supports local tribes and allows them to bypass agricultural aid more centralized systems.
For the moment, the range of products consists of powder of leaves and oil - the purest forms of Moringa. There will be more sophisticated products, although the purity and a sustainable business model is essential. "It is so much demand for these products - now I have just a small company of correspondence, said Barungi." But that will soon change: she is poised to launch products at the national level and it is immersed in an intensive course on production and distribution in the US market of health and beauty. While his family is somewhat wary of the perils of entrepreneurship, she says they will understand "that they see what I do for the people." I'm not in it just for the money - after all, how lucky I am to find something so incredible that can help other too? »
As a model, Camilla Barungi intervened outside the standard as she seduced viewers of Project Runway. But after he discovered the African Moringa in its country of origin, its business in a sustainable trade in the beauty sector will likely be his true legacy it leaves.
Links:
African Moringa
George Ayittey on Ted
Project runway season 3
Camilla Barungi elite
