Kenya’s Maasai women artisans eye global market
6 Mar 2009
Members of the Namayiana Women Group gather under an acacia tree beside their small storehouse. The women, from a Maasai community in the Rift Valley province of Kenya, chat and laugh together as they sew beads on leather bracelets and wire ornaments.
Commonwealth Secretariat assists craftswomen with designing and developing their products
Maasais are well known for their unique bead work. The jewellery, ornaments, beaded baskets, walking sticks and sandals they make are traditional in style and colour, blending those of the Kenyan flag
The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Kenya Export Promotion Council are working with these women artisans to make their products more attractive on the international market.
“The idea is to take them out of the traditional crafts they do, based on received knowledge, and get them to produce market-inspired crafts that can earn them money and improve their business,” said Timothy Williams, Head of Enterprise and Agriculture at the Secretariat.
“So, we assisted them with product design and development based on international market demand. But we went further than that. We assisted them to test market the newly designed crafts at an international trade fair in
Source:Commonwealth Secretariat
