On Thursday, we had a delightful tour of the Kazuri Bead & Pottery factory in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi). Kazuri means small and beautiful in Kiswahili. In 1975 a woman started a bead workshop, beginning with two single mothers, to help women in the area have an avenue for employment. Today, 340 single mothers are bussed in from the slums of Nairobi to work for Ksh 400-500 ($5 to $6) a day. There are also a few men who are employed. Ninety percent of the beads and pottery are shipped overseas (including the States). The beads and pottery are made from soil gathered at the foot of Mount Kenya. These clay products go through various stages of forming and painting. During the process they are baked four times at 1000 C for 10 hours. On the above photo, the larger beads are getting ready for their second baking. The smaller beads for their third baking.
No comments:
Post a Comment