The metalworking workshop of Violette and Dieudonné: A social enterprise

The metalworking workshop of Violette and Dieudonné is a true model of social entrepreneurship, managing a self-sufficient village of artisans. Dieudonné is the artist and craftsman, while Violette oversees the premises and manages the shop, even participating in international fairs in Europe. What this couple has built is a sustainable development model for Madagascar.

Workshops on a one-hectare site

The beginnings of the enterprise

Dieudonné Razafinjatovo initially worked as a physical education teacher. His father was a metalworker specializing in tinwork, crafting items from white sheet metal. Seeking a change in life, Dieudonné turned to metalworking to carry on his father's expertise and went further by training in design and creation. In 1996, he received a scholarship to Paris, where he learned advanced foundry techniques beyond the traditional methods used by Malagasy artisans.

The best of contemporary Malagasy craftsmanship

Used oil and diesel barrels, as well as recycled metal sheets, are transformed into everyday objects inspired by Malagasy culture, fauna, and flora. Lampshades, various types of furniture, decorative baobabs, sconces, lamps, and forged iron trays, as well as animal sculptures, are displayed and sold in the workshop's boutique. These items are distinguished by their "aged metal" finish, achieved by coating rusted iron with wax.

A unique metalworking enterprise

As the business flourished, Dieudonné and his wife, Violette Ralalaseheno, a former high-level athlete, decided to expand by hiring artisans. Their goal was to help others and improve social conditions by employing marginalized individuals, including the visually impaired, people with Down syndrome, those with physical disabilities, the homeless, and former prisoners.  

Today, the workshops occupy a one-hectare site in Ankazobe-Mandroseza, 15 km from downtown Tana. The site includes a shop, two schools, cultivated fields, fishponds, and more.  

It has also become a family business, with the couple’s children playing active roles. Fitiavana Ratovo is an artist who creates custom-made sculptures for exhibitions, such as his recent works on "hidden beings" exhibited at Is’Art Gallery in March. Finona manages the shop and oversees international fairs.

A community of solidarity

A village of metalworkers

Violette and Dieudonné didn’t theorize their social entrepreneurship; they simply followed their hearts. The workshops operate as a cooperative comprising nearly 120 families, involving about 350 people in total. Profits are used to provide food, educate children, grow organic fruits and vegetables for the community, and more. The eco-village already produces 30% of its food through organic agriculture (using vermicompost, among other techniques) and fish farming.

A school for the artisans' children

The village workshop includes a solidarity school for the children of metalworkers: the 4FA. Initially organized as an association, it later became a formal solidarity school. Education is expensive in Madagascar, making it inaccessible for many modest families. Since 2005, this school has enabled the artisans’ children to achieve the Brevet d’Étude du Premier Cycle (secondary education diploma).

Future solidarity projects

Violette and Dieudonné plan to expand extracurricular activities for the artisans’ children, such as sewing, arts, pottery, and theater workshops. Dieudonné also aspires to introduce wheat cultivation. The couple is determined to overcome many challenges to continue improving their community.

©Détours Madagascar - October 22, 2018