This post is mostly about the part of my job that involves working with women to help them increase their family incomes through bead craft. It ends with a shameless pitch for you to buy beaded coasters, key rings and Christmas decorations. Just letting you know in advance. Read on.

Working under an acacia tree

Elaborate beaded body decorations have been part of the pastoralist culture in Kenya for hundreds of years. For a young girl, the process of becoming “beaded” starts when she is claimed for marriage; often as an early teen around the time she is “circumcised.” Her future husband presents her with loose beads and she, in turn, creates and wears a beaded neckpiece, bracelets and earrings. Over the course of the girl’s adulthood, her beaded adornments increase until, for some, they extend from neck to diaphragm and include headpieces, ear decorations, armbands, bracelets, and anklets.

A lifetime of finery

Pastoralist women are neither empowered nor liberated. Once married they are virtually tethered to their dirt-floored manyattas bearing children, collecting firewood and water, tending to their chickens and goats, cooking, cleaning and obeying their husbands’ commands. Domestic abuse is a serious problem. It is illegal and discouraged by schools and community leaders but it still happens too frequently. Women who leave their husbands are disowned and turned away with no future prospects.

Young, beaded, married and poor

NRT’s bead program gives pastoralist women an independent means to make money and links this income to their community’s commitment to conservation and wildlife protection. The money the women earn helps them improve their household conditions and gain power in their relationships with their husbands. Women use their earnings to add variety and nutrients to their families’ diets, to pay school fees and to improve household sanitation and health.

NRT operates its bead program through local women’s groups that are organized and managed by the women themselves. The groups provide leadership experience for some and social connections for everyone. NRT delivers business and conservation training, micro loans, raw materials, and a monthly Market.

Quality control

On Friday I attended two NRT bead markets. Women, many with babies and young children strapped to their backs, walked in from their widely scattered manyattas carrying their completed beadwork. Once under the designated acacia tree, there was much chattering, smiling and socializing. The markets were clearly popular events. Each item a woman presented for sale to NRT was carefully inspected for quality. Some women’s products passed easily. Others had as many as half of their items rejected. The message: this is not charity. NRT buys only high quality goods.

Going home

Which brings me to my shameless pitch: You too can support pastoralist women and wildlife in northern Kenya simply by buying NRT’s high quality, very reasonably priced beaded products. [BTW, the NRT program is the only one that benefits women and wildlife.] John has added a new tab on the tencenturies.com menu bar called “NRT Beadwork.” It has pictures and prices of products that you can order from me and that will be delivered before the holidays (sorry, US orders only). Simply email me your order and I will bring the products back when we return for a break in mid-December. Orders need to be placed by December 1. One minor hitch; I don’t take credit cards. I will tell you how to pay when I get your order.

As they say here, “Asante sane.” Thank you very much.