This basket is hand-crocheted by Jane Kendi. Crochet work is a traditional craft in Tharaka Nithi, Kenya.
 
Jane lives happily with her husband, who is a teacher at a school in town. Since she does not have children yet, she says she often used to find herself with a lot of free time while her husband was teaching. When she heard about this project, she was very excited to join because she thought it would be fun and keep her busy. Jane tells us that she loves interacting with the other women because she is gaining knowledge and wisdom from them and it's helping her make many friends in her village.
 
A bit about the project:
The Basket Ladies is a subsidiary of Merry-Go-Strong (501(c)(3)). We work with the Tharaka Women’s Welfare Program (TWWP) to help rural women who are part of adult literacy groups in Tharaka Nithi Kenya earn and income.
 
MGS provides the acrylic yarn to help the women get started and then buys the baskets when they are completed. Proceeds from the resale of the baskets go to supporting initiatives which help the women and families.
 
This basket has a photo of Jane holding the basket she made.
 
Size: approximately 8"x 8"
Number of colors: 4
Material: Acrylic yarn
Maintenance: Machine wash in cold and air dry
Storage and shipping: this basket folds flat and is easy to ship and store