BASKET CASE - FINALIST
KENYA


Basket Case

The women of Ngurunit in Kenya have entered the cash economy. They are earning an income of 50,000 Kenyan Shillings (about US$500) from selling traditionally made baskets. It's a veritable fortune in this arid part of northern Kenya where the UN is running a food aid programme. Before they started selling baskets, the women of this pastoralist society comprising Rendille and Samburu tribes were entirely dependent on their livestock. Change came when Laura Lemunyete from Wisconsin in the USA moved to Ngurunit after marrying a Rendille herdsman she had met on a livestock production course. A destitute woman called Gatoyia asked Laura if she could sell her camel milking basket to buy food. Convinced that the attractive baskets could bring much-needed income to the village, Laura turned saleswoman and convinced a number of Nairobi boutiques and curio shops to stock them. The baskets proved popular with tourists, and it wasn't long before orders were placed by importers to the US and Europe. Demand is such that some nearly 200 women in Ngurunit spend every spare moment weaving baskets. Competition in the curio trade is fierce, but Laura feels sure that with better access to markets, the Ngurunit women's baskets will continue to fund lasting improvements to the quality of life of the entire community. Already the basket making has proved a catalyst for other income-generating ventures such as honey, leather and ghee production.

2005 finalist 2005 finalist 2005 finalist
«
»

2010

The Only Way is Up - Philippines A Class Apart - Guatemala Pass it on - Peru Burn After Eating - India Charge of the Light Brigade - Rwanda Cyber Capital - Denmark Double Boiled - Kenya Growth Cycle - Zambia In a Nutshell - Malawi Ok Coral - Tanzania One Reef at a Time - Madagascar Saving From a Rainy Day - Mexico

2009

Safe Bottle Lamp Project - Sri Lanka Danamon Go Green - Indonesia Fungi Town - United States Afghan Hands - Afghanistan Andaman Discoveries - Thailand Barefoot Women Solar Engineers of Africa - India Biogas as an alternative source of energy - Kenya Cheetah Conservation Fund Bush Project - Namibia Comet-ME - Israel - Palestine Mootral - Uk Stoves for Survival - the Democratic Republic of Congo

2008

Plan Bee - Pakistan A Chance to Grow - Nepal Homegrown Heroes - Paraguay Change is Brewing - South Africa Cliffhanger - India Comunidade Film - Brazil Green Gold - Colombia Independence Day - India Maasai Production - Kenya Market economy - Kenya Sole Traders - Kenya Yurt Kindergartens - Kyrgyzstan

2007

Potato Goldmine - Peru Cooking Without Gas - Nepal School for Success - Haiti Half Price Hygiene - Uganda Herbal Healing - Vietnam High Sweet Fashion - Mexico Limbs From Leftovers - Nepal Out of the Forest - Brasil Peace Woods - Colombia S.O.S: Save our Seaweed - Brazil Steaming Ahead - Indonesia Top of the Crops - Afghanistan

2006

Elephant Paper - Sri-Lanka Card Aid - Rwanda Well Water - Bangladesh Blooming Business - Mauritius/Madagascar Fireproof Juice - Sweden Grass Roots - Swaziland Making a Buzz - Rodrigues/Mauritius Powering Up - Ethiopia Shark Park - Fiji Silicon Salvage - UK Sunny Side Up - Laos Wild Child - Botswana

2005

Coconets - Phillipines Fat Chance - Malta Reef Rehab - Vanuatu A Chilli Reception - Zambia Basket Case - Kenya Bugs Money - Kenya Dye-ing For Change - UK & Slovenia Lucky Birds - Spain Men Not At Work - South Africa My Big Fat Ethical Wedding - USA Rooftop Revolution - Ukraine Snakes Alive - India

Follow us

linkedin facebook