Page 53 - The Digital Cloth holiday issue

She is my inspiration and she has changed so many
women’s lives through basket weaving and keeping
up their traditional skills. She also has set up
various nursery schools close by to the weaving
groups so that the ladies can take their babies
whilst they work and be looked after. Genius in my
opinion!

My ladies in Machakos (70km from Nairobi) are
fruit and vegetable sellers by trade. They work 12

hours a day on the stall. They weave the baskets at
the market place to keep them busy while waiting
for customers. They teach their daughters to weave
and it is then passed down from generation to
generation. Only the women make baskets in
Kenya.
With the sales from weaving baskets for DD I am
told has made a massive impact on their livelihood
and generates enough money for them to put their

children through education, buy water tanks, goats
for milk, ruracio (Which is a traditional saving
plan like a wedding or a party) also
self-empowerment, self-esteem and being