|
 |
|
• |
|
|
THE KAZURi STORY K AZURi Founder - Lady Susan Wood was born (1918) in a mud hut in an African village. Her parents were missionaries in the Ituri Forest of the then Belgian Congo. She was educated in England and married Michael Wood, a surgeon. They came to Kenya in 1947 and Michael Wood was a founder of the East African Flying Doctor Service, which expanded into the African Medical Research foundation (AMREF) of which he was the Director General for 29 years. Michael Wood was knighted in 1985.
In 1975, Lady Susan Wood set up a fledging business making beads in a small shed in her back garden. She started with two single women as assistants. Before long she discovered that there were many more women who were in need of jobs and so Kazuri Beads began its long and successful journey as a help center for needy women, especially single mothers who have no other source of income. In 1988 the small shed became a brand new factory. What started as a small enterprise has now expanded hugely and employs over 120 women and men. The factory is located on what used to be part of the Karen Blixen estate, of ‘Out of Africa’ fame, at the foot of the Ngon’g Hills,  about 30
minutes from the bustling Nairobi city center. Here the women apply their
skills to produce the ceramic beads and jewelry. It is skilled and
delicate work, but the women have proved to be well suited with their
nimble fingers. The factory also acts as a social gathering and the hum of
voices continues throughout the day. In the early 1990’s the Gulf War gave
Kazuri its first real setback as its principal market, the tourist to
Kenya, vanished overnight. The decision was then made to diversify into
pottery and thus create a product that could be sold in the home market.
After much trial and error and with the help of a ceramic expert form
England a pottery business was borne, reminiscent of the pottery industry
of England 100 years ago. Today
Kazuri, the Swahili word for ‘small and beautiful’, produces a wide range
of hand-made and hand-painted ceramic jewelry and pottery, which are
designed to reflect Kenyan art and culture as well as being designed to
appeal to the worldwide fashion market. Kazuri’s beautifully finished
products are made to an international standard and they continue to
attract interests both inside and outside Kenya.These standards are maintained through the training of our workers in all aspects of production both in pottery and jewelry. Kazuri now has in place a highly trained and highly motivated management team and workforce.
...back to Africa page |
|
| • specializing in antique & unique beads, gems & pendants from around the world • |
In
2001 Mark and Regina Newman bought the company and their goal is to
further increase the size of the company, primarily by exploring and
developing the companies export markets. The guiding philosophy remains,
however - to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of
Kenyan society.