The story of Zawadi

ZAWADI was birthed out of a need to help friends who were born into a world less beautiful than the world into which I was born.  

I met Joanne in the year 2000 when I taught her daughter Barbara in a Kenyan Preschool. Joanne led a life typical to many in Kenya. Struggling to provide for her family, she sold doughnuts from her tiny mud home. 

Joanne hadn’t always lived in the slum. As a child she grew up in a middle class Nairobi suburb. When both her parents died she had no other option but to move into Kibera Slum, one of the largest slums in all of Africa.  

In 2001, Joanne’s husband died of AIDS. As is the custom of her husband’s tribe, his brothers inherited all of their household belongings leaving Joanne and Barbara with nothing more than their clothes. With nowhere to live, they moved in with Joanne’s sister. When Joanne heard that she too was HIV+ her sister evicted them. 

Since that time Joanne and Barbara have been dependent on the financial assistance of a friend to help with rent and food money, whilst Barbara is being sponsored to school. 

Wanting Joanne to be self-reliant and able to generate her own income, she proposed selling handbags in Australia. In January 2006 I came home from Kenya with 5 handbags. They sold immediately. With the money Joanne made from selling those five, she was able to buy 22 handbags. They again sold in no time. Joanne’s bag business began to take off. 

ZAWADI is now expanding to help others. Mercy, a girl I sponsored through high school, who is now an adult and a mum, has joined the Zawadi partnership. Mercy sources good quality jewellery which Zawadi imports and sells, which in turn provides an income for Mercy, her young daughter and extended family. What started out selling 5 bags for one friend is growing to helping more.  

The ZAWADI partnership is giving disadvantaged friends a hand up NOT a hand out.