FAQs

Zawadisha at a glance

• What we are: a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (legal name: The Zawadisha Fund, EIN 46-0583426) with a Candid Gold Seal of Transparency, providing microloans to women in rural Kenya.
• What the loans do: women use small loans to buy water tanks, solar lamps, clean cookstoves, mattresses and other household essentials, and pay them back over time.
• Who we've reached: more than 2,500 women in more than 100 women's groups in Taita Taveta County, Kenya.
• Who runs it: founder Jen Gurecki, who has worked in Kenya for more than 20 years, and an all-Kenyan, all-women team based in Maungu, Kenya.
• What we sell: handmade jewelry, baskets, home decor, kitchen and dining goods, and natural bath and body products from artisans across Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eswatini and South Africa.
• Where the money goes: every purchase funds our microlending program in Kenya.
• The name: Zawadisha means "to give a gift" in Swahili.
• Where to find us: online at zawadisha.org and in Reno, Nevada, at our Shop Within a Shop at Wyld Market and local farmers markets.

About Zawadisha

Is Zawadisha a nonprofit?

Yes. Zawadisha is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit; our legal name is The Zawadisha Fund, and our EIN is 46-0583426. We hold a Candid Gold Seal of Transparency. Donations are tax-deductible, and every purchase from our shop funds our microlending program in Kenya.

What does Zawadisha do?

We provide microloans to women in rural Kenya. Women use the loans to buy household essentials like water tanks, solar lamps, clean cookstoves and mattresses, which we deliver to their homes, and they pay the loans back over time. We have reached more than 2,500 women in more than 100 women's groups in Taita Taveta County. Our shop of handmade goods from across Africa helps fund this work.

What does the name Zawadisha mean?

Zawadisha is a Swahili word that means "to give a gift."

Who started Zawadisha?

Jen Gurecki founded Zawadisha. It began in 2004 as an informal microlending program while she was researching women and poverty in Kenya for her master's degree. Today our all-Kenyan, all-women team runs our work from Maungu, Kenya.

Why loans for household items instead of business loans?

A water tank can save a woman up to 20 hours a week of walking to collect water, and a solar lamp replaces toxic kerosene. These items free up time and money right away, so women can repay and borrow again. We work through women's groups, so members support each other through repayment.

Our shop and our artisans

What do you sell?

Handmade goods from artisans across Africa:

• Jewelry: brass and silver earrings and necklaces from Cape Town, South Africa, and recycled paper pulp earrings from Eswatini.
• Baskets: sisal baskets from Kenya, sisal and sweetgrass bowls from Rwanda, crochet baskets from Kenya, and woven baskets from Ghana and beyond.
• Home decor: upcycled glass jars, vases and candle holders from Zanzibar, jacaranda wood and raffia bowls from Rwanda, wool felt bowls from South Africa, paper pulp masks from Eswatini, and woven plant hangers from Kenya.
• Kitchen and dining: hand-carved olive wood spoons and servers from Nairobi, Kenya, and handwoven organic cotton napkins from Kenya.
• Bath and body: natural soaps and solid perfumes handmade on Lamu Island, Kenya.
• Gifts: plantable seed pencils, the African Artisan Mystery Box and digital gift cards.

Where do your products come from?

We work directly with artisans, cooperatives and small businesses across Africa, including in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eswatini and South Africa. Our founder visits and chooses each partner, and we prioritize women-owned businesses that share our values of fair pay and sustainability.

Who makes your products?

Some of the makers you'll find in our shop:

• A Bird Named Frank, a jewelry studio in Cape Town, South Africa, making mixed-metal brass and silver earrings and necklaces.
• Quazi Design, a women's collective in Eswatini that makes jewelry and masks from recycled paper pulp.
• Chako, a World Fair Trade Organization member in Zanzibar that turns rescued wine bottles into jars, vases and candle holders.
• Chic Fusion, a Cape Town studio making wool felt bowls.
• Siafu, which handweaves organic cotton napkins on a loom in Kenya.
• Natural Lamu, which makes natural soaps and perfumes by hand on Lamu Island, Kenya.
• Women artisans in Rwanda who weave sisal and sweetgrass bowls, and woodworkers in Kigali who make our jacaranda and raffia bowls.
• Woodcarvers in Nairobi who hand-carve our olive wood spoons and servers.
• Women in Taita Taveta County, Kenya, who handweave our sisal baskets with our partner Hadithi.

Who weaves your sisal baskets?

Our sisal baskets are handwoven by women in Taita Taveta County, Kenya, the same community where we provide loans. More than 1,000 weavers work with us and our partner Hadithi. Each basket comes with its weaver's name, handwritten on a scrap of cardboard.

Why shop artisanal goods?

Why buy handmade instead of mass-produced?

A handmade piece carries the skill, time and story of the person who made it. Every earring, bowl, spoon, napkin and basket in our shop is made by hand in a small studio, workshop or home, not on a factory line, and your money goes to a real person and her family. Handmade goods are also built to last, so you buy once and keep them for years.

What makes each piece unique?

Because everything is made by hand, no two pieces are exactly alike. Each olive wood spoon follows the grain of its own piece of wood, each upcycled glass jar starts as a different bottle, and each sisal basket has a pattern and colors chosen by its weaver. Many of our pieces are truly one of a kind: once they're gone, they're gone.

How does buying handmade help preserve culture?

Many of our goods carry traditions passed down through generations: basket weaving among Taita women in southeastern Kenya, sisal and sweetgrass weaving in Rwanda, and the coastal Swahili craft and spice traditions of Lamu and Zanzibar that inspire our soaps, perfumes and glassware. When there's a market for these skills, artisans can earn a living from them, and younger makers have a reason to learn. Buying their work keeps techniques, designs and materials alive.

How does my purchase give back?

It gives back twice. First, the artisan or small business that made it is paid fairly. Second, every purchase funds our microlending program in Kenya, which has reached more than 2,500 women with loans for water tanks, solar lamps, clean cookstoves and mattresses.

Are your artisans paid fairly?

Yes. We buy directly from artisans, cooperatives and small businesses rather than through wholesalers, and we prioritize women-owned businesses that share our values of fair pay. Several of our partners are women's collectives or fair trade members.

Are handmade goods better for the planet?

Our goods are made from natural and recycled materials, including locally grown sisal, olive wood, jacaranda wood, raffia, wool felt, organic cotton, natural oils, upcycled wine bottles, recycled newspaper and paper pulp. They're made by hand without large factories, and they're made to last, which means less ends up in a landfill.

Shopping, shipping and returns

How much is shipping?

Within the United States, shipping is a flat $8 via USPS Ground, and free on orders over $75. International shipping is calculated at checkout based on your destination.

How fast do you ship?

We ship within five business days via UPS or USPS. For expedited shipping or questions about your package, email jen@zawadisha.org.

When should I order for Christmas?

For delivery by Christmas within the US, order by December 17. Expedited shipping is available: email jen@zawadisha.org for the price and timeline. Or send a digital gift card, which arrives by email instantly.

Do you ship internationally?

We ship to some international destinations. You are responsible for any duties, VAT or taxes your country charges on imported goods, and we can't add those to your order. Email us for international rates.

What is your return policy?

We accept returns on unused, non-sale items in original condition within 30 days of delivery. Email jen@zawadisha.org for a return authorization. You pay return shipping unless the item arrived damaged. Sale items can be returned for store credit. Mystery Boxes are final sale.

Will my item look exactly like the photo?

For our one-of-a-kind sisal baskets, yes: the colors and pattern in the photos are exactly what you'll get. (The Surprise Mini Sisal Basket is the exception: we choose it for you.) Other handmade pieces may vary slightly in color, grain or size from the photos, which is part of what makes them handmade.

How do I care for my purchase?

Each product page includes care details. For sisal baskets, keep them dry and out of direct sunlight, and spot-clean with a damp cloth. Read the full sisal basket care guide.

What's in the African Artisan Mystery Box?

Each box holds at least $150 of new, handmade goods from across Africa, hand-picked by our founder, for $75. It may include textiles, carved wood, jewelry or ceramics. See the Mystery Box.

Do you have gift cards?

Yes. Digital gift cards are delivered by email, never expire, and can be used with discounts.

Can I use more than one discount code?

Only one discount code per order. Sign up for our emails to hear about deals first.

Where can I shop in person?

In Reno, Nevada, at our Shop Within a Shop at Wyld Market (1640 S Wells Ave), most Sundays at the Riverside Farmers Market, and at seasonal markets. Our in-person shop often carries goods you won't find online, like Ghanaian baskets and bags, Rwandan bread baskets, and olive wood bowls. See where to find us.

Giving and travel

How can I donate?

You can donate online or mail a check to Zawadisha, 3983 S. McCarran Blvd. #481, Reno, NV 89502. Donations are tax-deductible, and you'll receive a receipt by email. Donors who give $100 or more receive a handwoven basket as a thank-you.

What does a donation pay for?

Donations fund loans and training for women in rural Kenya. For example, $75 can fund a clean cookstove, $100 a solar lamp system, and $500 a rainwater tank. As loans are repaid, the money is lent again to the next woman.

Can I visit Zawadisha in Kenya?

Yes. Our small-group Cycling Safari and Artisan Safari trips travel through Kenya and visit the women we work with in Taita Taveta County. The Artisan Safari includes hands-on craft workshops with artisans and cooperatives. The next trips depart in July 2027, and a $250 deposit holds your spot. Trip proceeds go to Zawadisha. See the trips.

How do I contact you?

Email jen@zawadisha.org. We're a small team, so please allow 24 to 48 hours for a reply.