Stories From Home

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...

Making the Most of It Recently I was speaking to a friend who is doing something they really love and have wanted to do for a long time - and she was sharing how much she is enjoying the current work she is doing. Often we don't think of work as something to be enjoyed - but rather tolerated and endured - and it challenged my mindset.  It also made me realise how fortunate I am to be doing someth...

Counting Our Blessings There is a childhood song we used to sing growing up which speaks of "counting your blessings, naming them one by one - and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."  2017 has been a phenomenal year for us at African Mamas Crafts, not because of any ONE great thing - but when we review the year month by month, we see steadfast growth. April this year was our 2nd year...

As we are in the last mile of the year, I am reminded daily that I need all my energy to focus on the goals at hand and stay in the game. Every trade event, every customer interaction and feedback, every Facebook like, every training and learning experience, every word of encouragement  - and criticism has fueled our fire and kept us going.   Christmas Gifts, Events and Markets With ...