the kazuri bead factory

First let me say thank you to everyone who responded to my post yesterday. Your advice, encouragement and support are like the beads above strung together as part of my photographic journey that make it rich and more beautiful. How’s that for a segue into today’s post!

My trip to Kenya was a socially responsible photographic safari so I’d like to spend a bit of time in some of my posts to draw attention to those aspects where we might all make a contribution in some way, shape or form. Our first full day was spent in the city of Nairobi where one of the stops was the Kazuri Bead Factory located in the suburb of Karen. “Kazuri” is the Swahili word for “small and beautiful”. The workshop began in 1975 as an experiment in making handmade beads and today they produce not only ceramic beads but also jewellery and pottery. The founder, Lady Susan Wood, began with two African women and soon realized that there were other single women from villages around Nairobi in need of employment. The mission of the organization recognizes that the biggest contribution one can make is to create regular employment especially for the disadvantaged. Today they employ over 300 women–mostly single women–at the factory and more than 400 overall. As the demand for their products grow, others on the waiting list will find employment there.

You do not have to travel all the way to Nairobi for these beautiful beads and jewellery. Kazuri exports their beads to over 30 countries including Canada and the US. Here is the link to Kazuri in the Americas and Canada and wouldn’t you know it, it appears the Canadian distributor is located right here in the Lower Mainland!

For another perspective on our visit there and some more images, please visit my friend, Beate Dalbec’s blog here.