WELCOME TO ZAWADISHA
Your Social Good Marketplace
We scour the continent of Africa for the most beautiful, exceptionally crafted, and ethically sourced handmade goods, supporting local artisans and communities.
Then we invest 100% of sales into our microlending program that has served thousands of women in Kenya.
Zawadisha provides small loans to rural Kenyan women to help finance their livelihoods
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We remove the barriers for rural women to access essential household items like solar lamps, rainwater tanks, chairs, ironsheets, and clean cook stoves. We deliver these items directly to their homes in rural communities, and they pay for them over time.
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When women living in poverty have access to high-quality household goods, they see a dramatic increase in the quality of their lives.
Money is spent on school fees for children instead of on kerosene lamps. Women can use the six hours they would have spent walking to a river for water or into the forest for fuel wood on income-generating activities. Children sit at tables and study under the light of solar lamps.
Women’s status in the home is elevated as they are the ones responsible for the dramatic changes that benefit the entire family.
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When you purchase a handmade item from Zawadisha, you are not only supporting local artisans across Africa, you are helping us provide more loans for essential household items that radically improve the lives of women and their families.
One of a Kind, Handmade Baskets
There's a reason why they always sell out. Handmade by the women from the community we call home.
Get Out of the Group Chat
Join us on one of our guided cycling and safari tours through Kenya
Bold. Beautiful. You.
Handmade brass and sterling silver jewelry from Cape Town, South Africa
EXPLORE MORE
Get behind the scenes with Zawadisha
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Adventures Beyond the Ordinary in Kenya
Most people's idea of Kenya involves the predictable—safari vans clustered around a sleeping lion while tourists snap the same photos everyone else has. But Kenya has a side to it that most tourists never experience.
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From Basket Lady to Trade Warrior: How African Imports and New Tariffs Are Shaping Zawadisha's Mission
Little did our founder Jen Gurecki know that pivoting to retail would lead her down a path from desperate non-profit director to "The Basket Lady" at local farmers' markets, while simultaneously drawing her into global trade politics.
