Fair Trade Artisan Handspun Wool Knit Stuffed Leopard

Njoro is an agricultural community in Kenya.  In the male oriented Kenyan society, farm work is generally the domain of the men, leaving women with few opportunities for employment in this region.  Women bear the domestic burden that may include fetching and carrying water and firewood, caring for small vegetable gardens, cooking, and caring for the children and elderly or ill relatives.  And the single income of the husband is often not sufficient to cover the basic necessities of life.

It is within this context that Kenana Knitters was founded in 1998.  The group's goal was to provide a much needed main or supplemental source of income to rural women by utilizing their practiced expertise in spinning and knitting to create toys, bed coverings and fashion accessories that would be suitable for the export market.  Their most popular items became a line of adorable wool knit animals known as "Kenana Critters."  Starting with just a dozen women, the group has grown to over 300 knitters and 400 spinners.  With more wool needed than Kenana sheep can supply, the operation also has helped support many sheep herders from across the region.