Kazuri Beads and Pottery Centre description

Kazuri Beads and pottery Centre produce brightly-colored, handmade ceramic jewellery which are sold all over the world. Kazuri Beads supports literally hundreds of disadvantaged Kenyan women, by providing employment and healthcare services for them and their families.
Kazuri Beads is a popular place for many guests who have just a few hours to spend seeing the sights of Nairobi. The main showroom and workshop is located close to many attractions and tourist venues in the leafy suburbs of Karen.

The workshop is just a stones-throw away from the Karen Blixen Museum (named after Karen Blixen of the award winning film and book ‘Out Of Africa’)
Kazuri means “small and beautiful” in Swahili and this describes each and every beautifully handmade ceramic bead which is shaped by hand by the women who work at the Kazuri workshop. The beads are kiln fired once, glazed and then fired again before being strung.

Kazuri Beads Workshop Tours

A visit to the Kazuri Beads workshop and craft centre takes approximately one hour and here you will see the various processes.
A knowledgeable guide will show you around where you will see the whole process from the molding of raw clay through to the glazing, decorating and threading of beads as finished products. The salesroom is attractively laid out and a beautiful place to visit.

The History of Kazuri Beads:

The company was originally founded by the late Lady Susan Wood in 1975, who created employment for struggling single mothers in the locality. Kazuri is still located in its’ original setting in Karen, and the workshop there now has over 340 local women who are employed, most of them still being single mothers.

Care and welfare of Kazuri employees:

It’s good to know that each piece of jewellery sold from the Kazuri Beads store is in some way helping people who really need it. The Kazuri workshop in Karen is equipped with a clinic, which provides free medical care for the employees.
80% of the medical bills outside the Factory Clinic are also absorbed by Kazuri. In their mission statement Kazuri say that “the greatest contribution we can make is to create employment, especially for the disadvantaged and this remains our guiding philosophy. The result is reflected in the strength of the Kazuri Family and the beauty of our products.”

Kazuri Beads Outlets:

Kazuri have outlets at various places around Nairobi and a worldwide distribution network. They are a fair trade company and you can buy their jewellery online.
In addition to the main sales room and workshop in Karen, retail stores selling Kazuri beads in Nairobi are found in the Westgate Shopping Centre, Viking House (by Westlands roundabout), The Junction Shopping Centre and Capital Centre.
At the coast Kazuri have an outlet at the Diani Shopping Centre at the South Coast of Mombasa. They also have an outlet at Bombululu Workshops (www.apdkbombolulu.org) at the North Coast of Mombasa. The profits from this outlet support their mission of assisting the physically disabled of our society.
Kazuri also support the Kawangware street children project by purchasing paper shopping bags made from recycled paper.

Kazuri Beads and Pottery Centre

Attraction Type:    Culture
Category:    Community Tourism, Market
Region:     Nairobi
City / Town:    Nairobi
Road / Street:    Mbagathi Ridge
Telephone:     254 20 232 8905
Website:     http://www.kazuri.com
Entrance Fee:    Yes

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