Ways To Partner

Hakuna Matata Arts -Githurai

Hakuna Matata Arts is a recycling business in the Nairobi suburbs of Githurai . George is the proprietor and he employs 15 to 20 young men from his neighborhood. They collect scrap metal from garages and yards all over Nairobi . It is literally filled with all sorts of old scraps from car parts, cow horns and old tree stumps. All these rusty old products are converted into beautiful crafts. Many youth are unemployed and George has made it his mission to train and nurture them as they prepare to enter different job markets after finishing high school. <.p>

Mugostone -Githurai

John Mugo specializes in oil and acrylic painting primarily inspired by wildlife and nature. From his early years in primary school , he knew he wanted to be an artist. After finishing high school , he was not able to join college due to lack of school fees as is the case of many talented young men and women in Kenya. He decided to start free lance painting and selling his work at different markets. An American customer liked his work and gave him several orders and from then on, his business thrived. In 2006 he had kidney failure and he had to get a transplant. This took a huge toll on his business as he had to sell most of his art work to save his life. He went through dialysis and is now back on his feet. He has his workshop and works with his two sons in Githurai who are also turning out to be incredible artists.

Githurai is one of the low income neighborhoods and considered one of the toughest places to live in Nairobi. However, for the residents, life is cheap in the estate since traders source for fresh groceries from the nearby Ruiru and Kiambu markets. It has a very busy and chaotic shopping center where matatus (public transport taxis), motorbikes, tuktuks, and a sea of humanity all co exist along the narrow roads filled with traders and high-rises. Githurai is also known for its flashy Matatus that are notoriously fast and are fitted with high tech music systems. Githurai is 17.6 Km from Nairobi City Center

Zakale Creations- Kiamaiko (Huruma Slums)

Zakale Creations is a small business situated in the Kiamaiko ,Huruma Slums of Nairobi. It is a tough place to live, riddled with gangs, drugs, crime, prostitution, and other evils. But sometimes people are able to break through these challenges and are able to see hope and a future rather than repeating the cycle of poverty. John began a workshop making handicrafts from recycled metals and glass. Through his own God given gifts and abilities he began his small business in the slums. He chose the name Zakale because it means "reuse" or "recycle." Those in the project have learned amazing skills, been able to break free from their past and break free into a future. Each item made is created from recycled wire, hand twisted and manipulated into amazing pieces of art. Their lives are being reused for good and the business is flourishing. They are making a difference in their community and having a positive impact. Kimaiko has the largest goat slaughterhouse in Kenya and most city dwellers source all their meat from Kiamaiko slaughterhouse. Unlike the majority of Kenyan slums where unemployment, insecurity and crime are rife, Kiamaiko has seen more jobs and small businesses flourish as a result of the goat market. Kiamaiko is 12.7km from Nairobi City center.

Gonga Waya- Ngong Road

Abel lives with his wife Liz and his three children off Ngong Road. Abel became interested in making wire picture frames and wire work after working for a gift shop that sold frames locally. He observed artisans selling their leather and wooden frames in the gift shop and said, “If these guys can do this, so can I.” From there he created an aluminum wire frame to see if it would sell. And it did! This began the journey for Abel just off the very busy Ngong Road of Nairobi and he was encouraged to keep up his design process by the gift shop owner. His wife then helped Abel in his frame designs by cutting the glass for the frames.

Nowhere in the world will you experience a road full of furniture like Ngong Road. This is Kenyas IKEA . The only difference is that its outdoor and you don't have to assemble your furniture. Driving slowly past, as you often will due to heavy traffic, you will notice endless displays of seats and sofas, tables and chairs, garden decorations and wooden cupboards on one side and the other has all sorts of flowers and garden plants you can ever imagine. The sheer volume is overwhelming. But more than that, these are not merely furniture shops, but actual small furniture factories where they can customize anything from a Home and Garden magazine. Abel's workshop is 18km from Nairobi City center.

Liko Lampshades- Rongai

Nick Koje is a 27 year young man who was taught the craft of making lampshades by his father. He designs and makes aluminum brass coated lampshades. Nick trained as a procurement officer in a college in Nairobi and after graduating school he could not find a job. He opted to join the family business. However things did not work out as he had planned. They fell out with his dad and he started abusing alcohol. One sunday afternoon as he was waking up from his hangover he stumbles onto a televangelist on his tv and this turned his life around. He started designing his own lampshades in Rongai,. In a few months he had employed two artisans and today he has opened two workshops with 14 artisans and he has reconciled with his father whom they work together. His workshop is loud since it involves banging and chiseling patterns on aluminum sheet metal. He has given hope to the youth in his community . Rongai an area just off the leafy suburbs of Karen but not with the same affluent surroundings. Rongai borders the Nairobi national park and as you drive towards the town center you will occasionally encounter fearless Baboons and warthogs that have strayed outside the park. It is close to the famous Sheldrick orphanage where rescued elephant and rhino calves orphaned by poaching all over Kenya are cared for. They receive extremely specialized treatment here, and literally receive personal care 24 hours a day from highly dedicated staff who become surrogate mothers to the calves. The centre is open to the public each morning (11am-12pm). Rongai is 18.7km from Nairobi city center.