it has such a loving feel at the school. there are handprints of all the kids and teachers on the walls of the buildings, artwork in all the classrooms, a jungle gym in the middle of the plot of land, and kids always running around. it felt like a little sanctuary in lusaka.
in addition to being a school for orphans, chikumbuso has a program for widows and single mothers. it teaches them how to make beautiful bags, baskets, wine holders, cup holders, etc out of plastic bags (like the ones we get from grocery stores). it is amazing the patterns and details they can create with plastic bags. unless i had been told, i don't know if would have been able to tell they were made from plastic bags.
hand bags and baskets
wine bottle holders (really cute gift idea)
it is an amazing program bc it gives the women a skill they can use to make a living for themselves and their families. they go through a whole training program at chikumbuso to learn how to make the bags.
then, when one of their creations are bought (chikumbuso has a store where you can buy their products, and a lot of stores throughout lusaka sell them as well), the woman who made the bag gets 70% of the money. the other 30% does back into chikumbuso to make the organization run and to pay the teachers at the school. but it is a good incentive for the women to make quality bags bc they want their products to be bought.
the women making bags at chikumbuso
then, when one of their creations are bought (chikumbuso has a store where you can buy their products, and a lot of stores throughout lusaka sell them as well), the woman who made the bag gets 70% of the money. the other 30% does back into chikumbuso to make the organization run and to pay the teachers at the school. but it is a good incentive for the women to make quality bags bc they want their products to be bought.
the women making bags at chikumbuso
i think that it is an amazing organization and doing wonderful things. if anyone wants a bag, wine bottle holder, basket, etc, i will be coming home in july and would be willing to bring back some stuff. would love to do my part to help support chikumbuso. just send me an email (buckley.marissa@gmail.com).
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