WANJOKI CONNECTION

                                          Wanjoki Connection

                                           

     

     Wanjoki Connection is about today’s generations, especially today’s women, connecting with generations of the past and the future. As women of Africa we are deeply aware from our traditional teachings of the spiritual connection we can have with our mothers and grandmothers and beyond. We are also very much aware of the direction we have been given from these mothers, to do all that we can to insure the well being of our children and grandchildren.

     Our small group of mostly Kenya women has been working in recent years to develop small craft creations and fair trade business for impoverished grandmothers and single parents in Kenya. Most of these people can obtain food and some of their basic needs through their small scale farming and part time labour opportunities. However, things like buying shoes and clothing for their children and paying the school fees that begin with grade one is often not possible for them.

     The Winnipeg shop, Forest Peoples Crafts, in The Forks Market, supports the Wanjoki Connection workers by providing a much needed overseas market for the beadwork, batiks, unique clothing, carvings and other crafts produced in Kenya and other impoverished areas. As a registered Fair Trade business it strives to insure that the craft makers receive a fair price for the items they produce.

     Sometimes these low income families are faced with a health problem that requires hospitalization. This is often not possible for low income Africans. Sometimes their only cow, which they depend on for the children’s milk, dies unexpectedly and money is not available to replace it. Sometimes a grandmother or single parent can start a business with a small grant. $100 in Africa can do a lot! Wanjoki Connection tries to help whenever we encounter these situations.