Kikoi Products 

Kikoi Furoshiki	Kikoi Towel	Kikoi Kinchaku

"Saidia Furaha" , it means Help of Happiness in Swahili. Saidia Furaha is a NGO which was approved by Kenyan government in 1994, located in Nairobi suburb Kitengela town. Their aims are to raise girls who were born in needy families and girls orphans, to support single mothers for building their better life. They operate Kindergarten for the children of lower income families, Children’s Home, Tailoring and Dressmaking Training Centre for needy. The purposes of this workshop are to generate their own income and create a job for women. In 2011, they have started a sewing workshop which employs women who have graduated from this training center. Under the guidance of Japanese designer, they organize their original brand which is unique and fashionable. And now they are trying to create warmth handmade. product which would be attractive globally The workshop produces and sells fabric products. Those products are available at events of Japanese society in Kenya and other events such as an African Festa in Japan. A&A support their business activities.

※Additional information can be obtained from
http://www.geocities.jp/hiroki_site/saidia/

Amani ya Juu

Safari Rugged Tote	Jewelry Case	Photo Album

 Amani ya Juu (“peace from above” in Swahili) is a sewing and training program for marginalized women established in Nairobi, Kenya, with sister centers in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Liberia. Women at Amani are learning to work together through faith in God who provides a peace that transcends all cultural and ethnic differences. Amani portrays a unique picture of diversity, with women coming from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, and other African nations. Amani began in 1996 with four women sewing placemats together in Nairobi. Since then, Amani has grown to over 100 women representing ethnic groups and experiences from all across Africa. As women return to their homelands, they carry Amani with them. Amani has established a presence of peace in five African nations (Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, and Uganda) and two US cities (Washington, DC and Chattanooga, TN). Each Amani center is locally registered and independently managed with support from an international leadership team. Amani’s wide selection of high-quality handbags, home & kitchen décor, jewelry, and children’s items are made out of local African materials. Innovations by Amani trainees in stitching, tie-and-dye and batik result in uniquely designed products. A&A support their business activities.

Quote: Amani Website※Additional information can be obtained from

http://www.amaniafrica.org/

Accessories (Reuse Padlock)

“Gifted Hands” is the name of this business group to make unique accessories from recycling padlock. They started this business in 2007, now four staff is working. Their factory is located in Ongata Rongai which is near Nairobi city. We can see their accessories at high end handicraft shops in Nairobi these days.
And they also supplied emblem of Vivienne Westwood under Ethical Fashion Project organized by UN and Vivienne Westwood.
Recently they started to recycle glasses and papers to make unique accessories as well.
Gifted Hands is one of our business partners for A&A program.

Felt animals

These Felt animals products are made by “Save the Children Centre” (SCC) in Central Kenya which is run by Matumaini home for orphans and was established in 1987 to support weak single mothers to become self-reliant. SCC approach is to empower single mothers with income generating skills, as one of the ways of tackling the challenges of street children, begging, prostitution and making of illicit brews. It encourages single mothers and the youth to acquire craftsmanship and other useful skills. SCC carried out a trial and error to establish strong selling products and after a long period of time, they finally got a felt product. Currently, their products are becoming more popular not only in Kenya, but also in Japan, hence, the inability to meet the market demand. Currently, single mothers in the region and the youth (Total 18 persons) are making these felt products. SCC coordinates and supervises their activities and has also established a day-care facility for mothers with small babies.
SCC is one of the NGOs being supported by A&A.

Sisal Bag

W：40cm H：25cm Bottom：diameter 15cm Handle：50cm	W：28cm H：18cm Bottom：diameter 14cm Handle：37cm	W：12cm H：15cm Bottom：diameter 9cm Handle：120cm

The sisal bags come from Mwatate District in the Coast Province of Kenya and are made by one of OVOP groups. The business which was started in 2006, is currently exporting their products to Denmark and Japan.

    taita basket english PDF

Horn Products

Kitchen goods Container of Salt and Pepper Spoon Big/Small	Spoon W：9cm H：24cm	Bracelet (left side) Perimeter of Inside：22cm W：3.5cm

This is also one of the OVOP group and which started its business in 2012. Cow born products made from long horns are rare items in many markets. Currently a number of long horn products are found in many high end handicraft shops in Nairobi. The Craftsman is capable of making a variety of products depending on the design of the customer. Currently A&A is in the process of developing new items with this group.