Sawubona
Sawubona is a social enterprise offering a curated selection of stylish handwoven handbags and baskets, intricately hand-carved wooden spoons, sisal coasters, placemats, handwoven wall decor, artisanal teas and more. They aim to empower one million African artisans within the next ten years. They currently support 75+ artisans from Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.
Discount Code:
Get 15% off with code: FAIRANDGOOD15
Sawubona is a social enterprise offering a curated selection of stylish handwoven handbags and baskets, intricately hand-carved wooden spoons, sisal coasters, placemats, handwoven wall decor, artisanal teas and more. They aim to empower one million African artisans within the next ten years. They currently support 75+ artisans from Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.
Discount Code:
Get 15% off with code: FAIRANDGOOD15
Sawubona is a social enterprise offering a curated selection of stylish handwoven handbags and baskets, intricately hand-carved wooden spoons, sisal coasters, placemats, handwoven wall decor, artisanal teas and more. They aim to empower one million African artisans within the next ten years. They currently support 75+ artisans from Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.
Discount Code:
Get 15% off with code: FAIRANDGOOD15
Our Story
Sawubona is a social enterprise founded by Esther Gathambo from Kenya to empower talented African artisans and improve their wellbeing and that of their families. They currently work with over 75 artisans from Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa, specialising in wood carving and weaving. Their diverse collection includes baskets, salad servers, placemats, throws, tea, jewellery, and fragrances.
Esther shares the initial challenges of finding artisans to work with: .
"When I first started, I asked friends and family in Kenya to scout for artisans because I couldn't be there physically due to COVID-19. It took a while to track them down as they live in remote villages far from big cities. However, once we started working with a few artisans, reaching more groups, especially weavers became easier. Over time, artisans began reaching out to us as word spread. For other items, we utilise fair trade organisations such as Indego, JUSTTEA, and Gone Rural to connect with artisans in Rwanda and South Africa. There are so many out there, and we wish we could accommodate them all!"
Sawubona aims to support 1 million African artisans in 10 years, and they believe they can achieve this goal with your help.
Fair Labour Commitments
When it comes to their fair trade practices, Esther explains that although they are not formally certified yet, they plan to pursue certification in the future.
For now, Sawubona pays their artisans 50% upfront to cover materials and labour based on the country's living wage, with the remaining 50% paid upon order completion. While they admit that their system isn't perfect, they are working hard to develop a social impact strategy to address gaps that could lead to unfair terms for artisans.
Most of Sawubona’s products are made from natural materials such as sisal fibres, raffia, sweetgrass, and wood. Our women weavers typically work in groups, either in each other’s homes or in local community centres. In African countries, women’s groups are common and provide a sense of belonging and safety, especially for those experiencing domestic violence.
Every purchase from Sawubona provides an income to an African artisan and their family, enabling more children to attend school and access better nutrition, medical care, sanitation, electricity, and more.
Sawubona hopes to one day provide proper equipment and better facilities to make the artisans' work easier and more efficient.
