the new new

As you may or may not have read on the other blog I manage, the Mountain Park UMC Young Adult team left Nakuru late Sunday evening to return to the states. The ladies are taking a breather…for one day. They pulled out all the stops for this group, raking in the highest number of custom orders they have ever recorded—handbags, small embroidered picture mats to frame, sisal belts, bracelets, and necklaces. I did not even know they knew how to make some of this stuff! Their agility, ingenuity, and persistence never cease to amaze me. Here is the big news: the ladies earned nearly 50,000 shillings after expenses from this team. Each co-op member was able to take nearly 3,000 shillings home to their families. Now, they are actively weaving with new colors to prepare for the team of nearly thirty that will come through in about a week. Here are other new exciting developments:

• Grace is now producing hand-stitched cloth books titled Learning Kiswahili. The book is in its first edition and includes five to six pages of basic Swahili words and greetings along with their English translation for the language savvy.

• One of the ladies’ best-selling products with the MPUMC team was the woven handbag {in a variety of colors and patterns, as seen in the new photos} bound with leather—what they call “briefcase style.” The ladies are working on creating a pattern to make American-style clutch or wristlet purses of the same style—same unique weaving detail with sturdy leather.

• Liz Nichols, my mother and Kenya Project volunteer extraordinaire, has volunteered her framing services for anyone who wishes to turn their picture mat into a piece of verified artwork, ready to hang in the home. Because the availability of quality and affordable frames is limited in Nakuru, she will mat and frame your piece for the cost of the frame and a few extra dollars so the ladies will not miss out on that profit opportunity. She is amazing at this. Trust me. She can sew, refinish furniture, frame, create flower arrangements, mat and find bargains like no other woman on this earth! I will post photos of some pieces she has framed recently.

• The ladies and I have identified new supply needs: embroidery floss {due to the high volume of custom stitched orders and the lack of color variety in Nakuru fabric stores} and cutting mats with accompanying rolling razor blades {to improve quality and to improve the speed of creating certain products—no more tedious measuring and dull scissors!}. Please contact Liz Nichols at 770-979-6993 or kenyaproject@bellsouth.net if you are interested in donating any of these items.

Here is my favorite…

• The ladies approached me on Tuesday, June 2 about opening a bank account. Somewhat surprised by their own success this time around {50,000 shillings!}, they are now confidently planning for the future. They want to save to invest in the future. Because I am not entirely familiar with the Kenyan banking system, it is going to require some research. I will keep you updated!


Stay tuned for more photo updates—I’ve worked out a system with friends and family in the States to assist me in that process: cloth books, bags, and framing to come. Thank you for your continued support. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have a special request or want to learn more about our project.

Love to you across the ocean,

tnick