Artisans — Kenya RSS



Bombolulu Workshops

Bombolulu Workshops is located in Mombasa, Kenya, and works with over 100 disabled men and women artisans to help them overcome their physical limitations and empower them economically and socially to become fully integrated members of their communities. Bombolulu started in 1969 as a rehabilitation project sponsored by the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya. Bombolulu Workshops provides artisans with training in jewelry making, screen printing, wood carving and crafting to provide them with a dignified way of earning an income. They also provide housing and assistance with medical care. Bombolulu's motto is 'Disability is not Inability.' Serrv has been working with Bombolulu since the mid-1980s.

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Trinity Jewellery Crafts

Trinity Jewellery Crafts is a small jewelry-making business located on the outskirts of Mathare Valley, one of the most impoverished areas of Nairobi. Joseph Muchina, the director of Trinity, grew up in a Nairobi slum, which gave him a strong desire to find a way to reduce poverty. Together with two other founding members of Trinity, he was trained by the National Christian Council of Kenya in jewelry making, and they started a small business to employ others in need. In addition to their monthly income, the jewelry makers who work at Trinity all participate in a profit-sharing plan and 10% of their earnings are set aside each month in a pension plan. Joseph says that when they have orders,...

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Nyabigena Soapstone Carvers Cooperative

Kisii, a city in western Kenya, is surrounded by soapstone quarries and is well-known both for the quality of its soapstone and the skill of its carvers. Nyamarambe, a rural village near Kisii, is the home of the 150-member Nyabigena Soapstone Carvers Cooperative. This civic-minded group provides work for its members while also giving back to its community.A source of great pride for the cooperative is the Nyabigena Mixed Day Academy, an elementary school which they opened in January 2007 which now educates 150 students from the proceeds from the sales of soapstone crafts.  

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