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our Team
Kabisa consists of a dedicated team of passionate individuals. Meet our core members, tailors and artist groups. Our emphasis is on creating beautiful, high quality handmade products with care.
Kabisa is a social impact business created to provide self employment opportunities for young women and talented artists from rural Kenya and Tanzania. We connect and collaborate with those who have chosen to diversify their work by practising traditional craft skills.
Our signature product is a set of six, 100% cotton, kitenge cloth napkins which are a vehicle to raise awareness about global food insecurity. Fundamental reasons why accessing nutritious food is a challenge include: drought in dry areas and therefore low agricultural yields, mediocre education and health services alongside surging food prices. Whilst focussing on a brighter future, it is important to acknowledge history and that many Kenyan families were forced from their land, by the British colonial rule, which disrupted their socio-cultural and economic life.
African crafts are so often celebrated, yet the talented artists are frequently not honoured by paying appropriately for their skills and creativity. By increasing fairly traded sales, consequently creating an alternative income for the rural makers, this financial independence enables choice, liberation and empowerment and has the opportunity to generate long lasting, impactful social change.
core kabisa members
COLLABORATIVE. resilient. INNOVATIVE.
Vics and Rosie manage the creative development, daily operations and growth of Kabisa. Their values, vision and entrepreneurial spirit align in unison and are the fundamental strength that form the essence on which Kabisa is built upon. Their contrasting skills, connections and opportunities complement each other and they seek wisdom from Mama Mercy and Aida to enable a smooth operation.
As the children of our team watch their mothers, aunties, cousins and sisters cutting, sewing and weaving, it inspires their creativity, aspirations and work ethic. This exposure will ultimately encourage them further to flourish and prosper within their communities. Kabisa expresses the truth behind our brand and encapsulates our ethos of wholeheartedly honouring our tailors and artists.
Mama Mercy
Inspiration
Mama Mercy is the inspiration to Vics starting Kabisa. Having worked together since 2008, they have developed a strong bond, nurturing a relationship full of respect, admiration, and mutual appreciation of well-seasoned food and a proper fruit salad!
Community leader, huge advocate for preserving our environment, HIV Counsellor and Chairlady of Tumaini Women’s Group, Mama Mercy is also strongly recognised as a campaigner for women and children’s rights.
“From the depth of my heart, Vics and Kabisa have been a pillar to Tumaini Women’s Group and myself over the past 16 years.”
Vics
Founder
Vics is acutely aware of how being born in the UK has provided fundamental privileges, specifically education. She formed the foundations of Kabisa after 10 years of working on, managing and leading a variety of projects and expeditions across East Africa. Alongside learning KiSwahili, Vics has gained great insight into Swahili culture, customs and traditions.
“I’ve witnessed unparalleled natural beauty, creativity, and innovation within Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar, alongside distinct inequality with thirst for progression. I believe that through our collective effort, Kabisa will create long-lasting social, environmental and economic change for our team and wider communities".
Rosie
Operations Manager
Rosie has a natural ability to connect with people, problem solve and identify challenges, and opportunities within situations. As Operations Manager, she coordinates everything on the ground in Kenya and mainland Tanzania including; sourcing materials, meeting our artisans, overseeing logistics and managing our social impact projects.
“I'm passionate about empowering women because I believe when you empower a woman, you empower the whole community. I enjoy leading my family and wider community in discussions, no matter how hard it is, where we can share ideas as to how to progress our village for the next generation.“
aida
Zanzibar Coordinator
Aida has shown incredible courage and strength in the face of adversities, specifically through becoming the first ever Zanzibari yoga teacher. She encourages women in her community to push physical and societal boundaries to benefit their health and well-being. Aida coordinates all aspects of Kabisa in Zanzibar, especially as she operates a women’s sewing collective, called Sasik, that her mother started in 1993.
“As a healer, I have the opportunity to serve people through my hands and to encourage others to achieve their potential. My outlook on life is that if you are given an opportunity, grasp it with both hands because it may not appear again”.
our tailors
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Through working collaboratively and sharing completely honest feedback regarding quality and design, we have created a joyful collection of vibrant homeware, stylish lifestyle accessories, and decorations for all occasions, which we passionately showcase.
diffence
Tailor
An opportunity arose near Diffence’s village for selected young women to participate in a 6 month tailoring taster course and her cousin Rosie, encouraged her to apply. Diffence enjoyed the course but didn’t have the tools or space to practice her new skill. Through support and encouragement from Kabisa, Diffence completed an additional 2 year tailoring program and is now the backbone of our tailoring team.
“Freedom is something I love at Kabisa. I like sewing napkins and tea towels. I am inspired by my mistakes and enjoy exchanging ideas”.
bi chao
Tailor
Chao is also Rosie’s cousin and when she finished secondary school, we offered her the opportunity to learn tailoring. She started with a part-time course over 6 months and decided she wanted to continue so enrolled on a full-time 2 year course. Whilst learning to cut and use a sewing machine, Chao made earrings from the napkin offcuts, thus creating an income and learning simultaneously.
“I am now a mother of one child, I like making bunting and key lanyards which help to pay for my son’s school fees and our basic needs. Thank you for choosing Kabisa”.
bi chamma
Tailor
With a thirst to learn, committed and creative, Salma joins us as the most recent tailor to complete her training. In collaboration with Daraja Foundation in Zanzibar, a charity that offers vocational training to young people, Kabisa provided Salma with the skills that have built upon her existing tailoring knowledge.
“I am the second born of 8 children from a farming family. I am very happy to work with Kabisa and helps me to pay school fees for my younger sisters”.
our artisT groups
RESOURCEFUL. SKILLED. CREATIVE.
Traditional artisan skills such as basket weaving and beading are in abundance amongst rural women’s groups, yet the opportunities to reach a wider market outside of their immediate community are often minimal. Building a platform that increases fairly traded sales on a wider scale contributes to generating a sustainable income for the gifted creatives.
tumaini women's group
Basket Weavers
Members of Tumaini (Hope in KiSwahili) weave sisal baskets as an additional income. Many are small scale farmers living within Kasigau region of Kenya, a vital wildlife corridor between Tsavo’s National Parks in Kenya. They often cannot rely on the rains required to produce the crops they need.
We share creative design ideas to expand the mind whilst respecting the craft that has been taught from generations before. Some are still learning but we encourage them by ordering three at a time of the same style, colour and size to increase accuracy. By weaving baskets faultlessly, and with more intricate style, the artisans are in a better position for their baskets to be selected by other stockists.
NAMELUK WOMEN'S GROUP
Maasai Bead Work
Beadwork holds strong significance within the extraordinary Maasai tribe. Their rich and unique culture is a joy to learn and their deep connection to the natural environment is awe-inspiring. Traditionally women make all of the beaded decorations, handing down the craft to the next generation. Their artwork is given ceremoniously at pivotal times such as weddings, coming of age and other poignant celebrations.
Together we share ideas to create designs for Kabisa that allow participation from all group members. Each is distinctive, just like the artisans from Lekrimuni, a deeply rural area between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, Tanzania.
Malaika CREATIONS
Angel Decorations
Natural resources have lent themselves to art for hundreds of years across the African continent. Malaika Creations, based in Nairobi, Kenya, specialise in using the inner fibres of the sisal plant, banana tree stem and raffia to create traditional art. Their team of nine artists started in 2002 and together they make a variety of beautiful crafts, decorations and ornaments, with many depicting daily life in Kenya.
Malaika means ‘Angel’ in KiSwahili and we are blessed to share design ideas with the artists to create our ‘Angel of Hope’. We all need hope and it is with this in mind that we can generate plentiful sales so that we can build a suitable workshop for the Malaika Creations team to work from all year round.