Hotels near Kazuri Bead Factory
Nairobi, Kenya
Kazuri Beads (the name means small and beautiful in Swahili) is a Nairobi-based ceramic-bead cooperative employing 350+ women - mostly single mothers - making hand-painted clay beads and pottery since 1975. The cooperative was founded by Lady Susan Wood (a coffee-farmer's wife) as a sustainable employment programme for women in the Karen area; each piece is shaped, fired, hand-painted, and glazed by hand from local Kenyan clay.
Free workshop tours run hourly Monday-Saturday 09:00-16:00 (closed Sundays) - watch the women rolling, painting, firing, and stringing. The on-site shop sells finished jewellery (necklaces 1500-5000 KES) and ceramics. Kazuri pieces are sold in the British royal family's gift shop and have been worn by Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. Free workshop tours; products are reasonably priced. Located in Karen.
Pro Tip: Combine Kazuri with the Karen Blixen Museum 5 minutes away on the same morning. The bead-shaping process is fascinating - ask the staff to demonstrate the hand-rolling. The fair-trade pricing means the women receive a living wage from your purchase.
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