Stories From Home

Taking the Next Step Last week I was in tears as I heard the good news that Ntombizodwa, one of our crafters' daughters in KwaZulu-Natal, passed her matric exams and will be going to study at the University of Zululand (Unizulu).  It was tears of joy - as I shared hers and her mothers' excitement about taking the next step to find accommodation and complete registration.  She has elected to stu...

What better way to start off the year than with a note of thanks paying tribute to you as our customer for the critical role you played in sustaining and keeping us going in 2020.  Without your support and ongoing engagement through our different online channels we would not have continued to function as we have so far.  So, as we kick-off the year, we do so with an attitude of gratitude and an ...

One Day at a Time Growing up as a child, my grandmother was a master storyteller.  It was always such a treat to listen to her fascinating stories - sitting by the fire at night roasting mealies.  One of my favourite was the story of tortoise and the hare.  I love the moral of this story and how it is so applicable to us at this pandemic time - that slow and steady wins the ...

There is an African proverb which says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."  During this time of lockdown and being affected by the covid-19 pandemic, creating community through collaboration is key to survival. And not just in business, but for households and families too. This is the approach we advocate for within the artisinal communities we work w...

Forging New Paths Today marks the 43rd day of our lockdown in South Africa, which has seen restrictions starting to be eased at the beginning of this week moving from level 5 down to level 4. One of the best descriptions I have heard as a mother, wife and businesswomen at this time is that you are "not working from home, but you are at home, during a crisis, trying to work." We have u...

Staying Connected I am grateful for the technology that keeps us connected - the deployment of data coverage in rural communities, availability of affordable smart devices and applications that enable connectivity.  These have enabled us this week to check in and keep in touch with our team of artisans based in the rural parts of South Africa.  Living in the city, we often t...

Seasons Greetings As we prepare to end off what has undoubtedly been a challenging year both in business and personally, I am glad to be able to take time out to reflect on the lessons learnt.Thank you for your valuable support, encouragement and feedback - and for being part of our growth journey this year. If you are travelling and would like gifts for family and friends overse...

Happy Holidays! As we end off 2018 we want to take the opportunity to thank you for your valuable support - and for being part of our amazing journey this year.  We wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year! Till next year, Nomaswazi TinusFounder & DirectorAfrican Mamas Crafts

Clarity comes from engagement It is often said that clarity comes from engagement and we can attest to how true this has been for us in the last 6 months.  Earlier in the year, we were selected as part of the Trigaventures Accelerator programme - this has benefited us immensely in terms of clarifying and refining our vision and strategy going forward.  As part of the journey, we also had the oppo...

Seeds of Hope Last month we had the pleasure of hosting our annual gathering with our Kwazulu-Natal crafters.  It is always a time of huge excitement and anticipation for me when we get to fellowship face-to-face.  Off course there is always lots of discussion around family, food and work.  This year, I was even more excited in that we finally launched our Food Garden Sustainability Project and e...