Hadithi: The Women Who Weave Our Sisal Baskets
Every sisal basket we sell starts as a spiky leaf growing in southeastern Kenya. By the time it reaches your home, it has been stripped, dyed, rolled and woven by hand, by a woman who chose every color and every line of its pattern.
And she's not a stranger to us. She lives in the community where we lend, and she may well be one of our borrowers.
The short version: Our sisal baskets are handwoven by Taita women in Taita Taveta County, Kenya, in partnership with Hadithi. More than 1,000 women weave with us and Hadithi. Each basket is one of a kind, carries its weaver's handwritten name, and funds our microlending program in Kenya.
What is Hadithi?
In Swahili, hadithi means "a story." The name is a reminder that there's a story behind every handmade piece.
Hadithi works with women in the Kasigau region of southeastern Kenya, near our office. The land there is semi-arid, so growing crops is hard. Hadithi gives women another way to earn a living: it teaches new skills, sharpens existing ones, and helps keep traditions like basket weaving and beadwork alive. We've worked alongside Hadithi for years, providing training and loans to its weavers.
Who are the weavers?
Basket weaving is a Taita tradition. Our weavers live in rural villages between Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks, and many of them are members of the women's groups we lend to. Buying their baskets gives them an income, and every sale funds more loans in the same community.
Take Amina Hassan. When we first wrote about her, she was a mother of 11 who had been weaving for two years and a Zawadisha member since 2012. She had taken four rounds of loans, repaying every one on time, and had two water tanks, three solar lights and iron sheets on her roof to show for it. Her weaving income helped her care for her family.
Or Gladys Malemba, who weaves at her homestead in the Taita Hills. In this short video by Big Style Media House, she shares some of the secrets of twining, natural dyeing and weaving while she tells her story.
How is a sisal basket made?
- Grow. Sisal thrives in southeastern Kenya's dry climate. It's grown on the weavers' own farms or on sisal estates near the coast.
- Dye. The weavers strip the fibers from the leaves and dye them by hand.
- Roll. The dyed fibers are rolled into twine.
- Weave. Each woman weaves the twine into a basket, in a pattern and colors she designs herself.
- Sign. Her name is handwritten on a scrap of cardboard and attached to the basket.
Why is every basket different?
Because no two weavers think alike. Every pattern and color combination comes from the woman who made it, so no two baskets are the same. The basket in our photos is the exact basket you'll get. Sisal is also tough and durable, so with a little care, your basket will last for years.
Where can I buy Hadithi sisal baskets?
Right here. Shop our sisal baskets online, or find them in person at our Shop Within a Shop at Wyld Market in Reno. Every purchase funds our microlending program in Kenya. Want to know how it all started? Read The Basket That Saved Zawadisha, and learn how to care for your sisal basket.