Soapstone   |   Beaded Items   |   Handbags

One of the most common items found in a Nairobi market is the "Kenyan bag," locally known as a kiondo. Made from sisal fiber, in its simplest form, the Kiondo is a round basket with raw leather straps. EDImports works with artisans who have taken this basic bag to the next level by using new shapes, colors, and accessories such local seeds and shells.

These fashionable bags are great for both their sturdiness and their functionality, but they are even more meaningful for what they provide to the women who make them. The artisans who craft our bags live in the Kibera slum, a sprawling city of about 1.2 square miles with an estimated population of one million people. Although "Kibera" means forest, there is no vegetation to be found. Active train tracks run through the heart of the slum and the average home--in which an average of five people live-- is about 100 square feet. Basic services like water and sanitation are minimal and there is just one pit latrine for every 50 to 500 people.

With the income earned from making handbags women can support themselves, improve the lives of their children and eventually make their way out of Kibera. EDImports had the pleasure of getting to know one such artisan, Monica, who has been making handbags for several years and from her earning has managed to send three of her children in college.

Monica was kind enough to let us make this 5 minute video about her work and home.