Benefiting from Kisii Stone - KISAC and SMOLart, Kenya

Benefiting from Kisii Stone
KISAC and SMOLart
Kenya
Produced by Natural Light Films

To see Ten Thousand Villages products handcrafted by KISAC Fair Trade Ltd., visit: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/catalog/product.list.php?cart_artisan_id=155

To see products handcrafted by SMOLart Self Help Group, visit: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/catalog/product.list.php?cart_artisan_id=133

More than 10,0...00 artisans are involved in kisii stone carving. Most live near or around the town of Tabaka in Kisii District, western Kenya. Kisii stone, a soap stone is named for this district and quarried by hand with picks and axes. Artisans cut the stone with simple tools like machetes, hand saws and pocket knives.

Ten Thousand Villages works with 2 groups of artisans: KISAC Fair Trade Ltd. and SMOLart Self Help Group. Daniel Ombasa, Executive Director at KISAC, is grateful for the income and opportunities that kisii stone production has provided for himself and all the KISAC artisans. He believes that they should give back to their community since they have benefited so much from kisii stone.
KISAC has developed a small water project to provide fresh water to people in Tabaka and they have set up a program for orphan kids so they have food, clothing and education. Kisii stone production is providing many benefits to artisans in Tabaka. They recognize these benefits and use some of their resources to give back to the community so that everyone can benefit.

SMOLart is led by Jim Kenyanya (Jim is the person speaking at the opening of the video). Smolart works with 200 producer members, each of whom is a stakeholder. Each member works with several artisans in their home, for a total of some 1,000 carvers, thus creating job opportunities while also allowing artisans to be closer to their families.

Phillip Osaro (in red overalls) has been a carver since he was 18 years old. He works in the KISAC group and is pleased that his carving has earned him enough money to support his family, send his kids to secondary school and buy a few cows so his family has milk to drink and sell.

Joyce Juma is a sander at KISAC and is happy that her work has enabled her to educate her children. She has also been able to buy a goat and a cow to provide milk and extra income for her family.

Your purchase at Ten Thousand Villages makes a difference that is felt by more than only the artisans who craft the product. As it does for the Tabaka region in Kenya, purchasing a Kisii stone sculpture makes a difference for an entire community.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Ten Thousand Villages
• Natural Light Films
• Fair Trade
• Kisii stone
• kisii
• crafts
• artisans
• 10000 villages
• stone carving
• kisac
• smolart
• kenya
• african videos
• Hippo Sculpture
• 4122010
• Inspiring Paperweights
• 4122020
• Unity Candleholder
• 4100660
• Unity Sculpture
• 4130180
• Kenyan Wildlife Chess Set
• 4123000

[Beccals98]

It is amazing how smooth and alive the soapstone (Kisii stone) sculptures are. Ten Thousand Villages has a lot of things made from this material--some of which I recognize from the video! It's incredible to see these people forming these items.

[Vierge79]

My fiance and I have a Ten Thousand Villages store near us, and he bought me one of these Kisii Stone sculpture as an anniversary gift that I absolutely love.

If you all have a TTV store near you, do check it out -- they have fantastic items and it's great to know that your purchase goes back to help the artisans and their communities. :)