In Swahili, Zawadisha means "to give a gift," which might seem fitting for our little shop that sells handcrafted African goods. But our name means so much more.
Nearly 10 years ago we started our non-profit by the same name with a mission to provide small loans to rural Kenyan women to help them finance their livelihoods.
You can think of us like the Rent-A-Center of solar lamps, clean cook stoves, rain water tanks, and more. At Zawadisha, we remove the barriers that keep rural women from accessing these clean energy and water products by eliminating up-front costs through our own community-based financing and distribution program. We deliver these items directly to the door steps of women. We also hire these women as Community Trainers who provide workshops on leadership, financial literacy, and micro-enterprise.
Over the years our all-Kenyan, all-woman team has provided thousands of loans and thousands of hours of training. We are helping to strengthen an already vibrant community by providing more jobs, access to clean water and energy, and leadership positions for women.
This shop is one way that we provide more loans to women in Kenya, with 100% of all sales supporting our work. Not only do we re-invest the funds back into our non-profit, we also are giving African-based artisans a platform on which to sell their handmade jewelry, ceramics, and more.
This isn't charity, it's change, and we invite you to join us.