Artistry in Every Thread

Zakia was only 19 when her life changed forever. Her father—her protector—passed away from stomach cancer at Rubavu Hospital. Soon after, her mother, the light of their home, lost her battle to breast cancer at Butaro Cancer Hospital in Musanze. With their deaths, Zakia's childhood ended.

As the eldest daughter, she became more than a sister. Her grieving siblings turned to her for comfort, direction, and love—she became their mother, the pillar holding the family together. She was still a young girl, but she had to carry the weight of a woman, staying strong even as she was falling apart inside.

Years passed. Zakia married and raised three children, but after eight and a half years her marriage ended. She found herself divorced and alone—no parents to run to, no savings, no guidance. Just pain, confusion, and the loud silence of being both an orphan and a single mother. It felt like the end of everything.

But in that darkness, something stirred. As a little girl, Zakia had watched her parents welcome vulnerable women, orphans, and struggling mothers into their home—many in torn clothes, some with nothing decent to wear at all. She felt their pain, and deep inside she made a silent promise: "One day, I will make clothes for the people who have none. If I cannot give them everything, I will at least give them dignity."

With no fashion degree, no fancy machines, and no funding, Zakia began to sew. She stitched her pain into purpose, threaded her tears into fabric, and created House of Zakia. HOZA means to comfort someone who is in pain—and that is exactly what this house was built to do.

When you wear HOZA, you're not just wearing fabric—you're wearing a story. You're helping me raise my family, giving orphans hope, and telling every struggling mother: You matter. You are seen. You are powerful.

Today, HOZA is more than a clothing brand—it is a lifeline and a second chance. Zakia trains and employs other single mothers and orphans, and helps breast cancer patients with their hospital bills. Women who were once lost, abandoned, and invisible now have skills, income, and dignity. From the ashes of loss, Zakia built a house—not with bricks, but with love, resilience, and cloth. A House of Zakia.