“Kazuri” means small and beautiful in Swahili. But for the 400+ single mothers that work at the Kazuri Factory in Kenya, Kazuri means stable employment and free health care for themselves and their families. This past weekend, we had the pleasure of visiting the factory in Nairobi.
The main workshop where beads are rolled, fired up, painted and strung
1000 degrees C for the beads and 1101 for ceramics
Bead Quality Assurance measures
"Guinea fowl" ceramics pre-firing...
...and then ready to be shipped to over 30 countries around the world
Kazuri has been producing hand-painted jewelry and ceramics for local and international markets since 1975. The founders of Kazuri believed that creating sustainable job opportunities was the best contribution anyone could make in the developing world. For more about the history of Kazuri click here.
(And I must also mention that the Kazuri Factory is located in the region of Nairobi called Karen--named for Karen Blixen, the author of such famous works as Out of Africa and Babette's Feast. We also had a chance to stop by Karen Blixen's home while we were in the area!)
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