Responsible Fashion
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The Strength of One Woman
“Dreams do come true,” that is probably the first thing that Vicky Kimuhu will tell you if you asked her to narrate her life story. Vicky, a single mother of one child, is enthusiastic about the team work involved in shipping finished goods from the Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project EPZ factory to their final destination abroad. She’s been with Wildlife Works for just over two years now. “Handling shipping successfully, which is a new thing to me, excites me a lot! Though I am an enthusiastic professional and versatile designer with extensive experience in garment production from the raw material to the end product, I am happy to…
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Nora Matunda Shares Her Tough Journey to Success
Nora Matunda, a mother of four, has been a seamstress at the Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project Eco Factory for over 13 years. ‘’I am passionate and motivated by my work because of the quality products we produce as a team. Our work empowers the community with job opportunity, growth, development and wealth creation for our families,” she says. Nora grew up in Maungu, a town adjacent to Wildlife Works sanctuary. ‘’15 years ago, Maungu was a very small village with very few people who depended on mostly charcoal burning and bush meat to live, ’’ she recalls. Growing up in poverty-stricken Maungu provided very little opportunity for young…
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ASOS Invests in their Supply Chain Community, Putting their Money Where their Bottom Line is
ASOS Africa’s line is not only inspired by Africa but is also produced in Africa. ASOS has been working with our production partner, cut-and-sew house SOKO-Kenya, for over four years now. The international fashion company’s commitment to working in Kenya (and in other sustainable ways) has paid off; sales from their green line grow with each collection, which has allowed ASOS to invest deeper in their supply chain community. As a result of ASOS’s continued orders, SOKO-Kenya was able to expand their small coast-side factory into Wildlife Work’s production site in the Kenyan bush located between Tsavo East and West National parks. With our combined resources, we are able to…
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May Grace Kanini Wambua Rest in Peace
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Grace Kanini Wambua, who worked with us at the Wildlife Works factory for two years. We deeply appreciate the dedication she put into her work with our company and into the community’s commitment to conservation. Although she was young, she lived a full life and provided a good life to her two young daughters. The illness that took her life in just 2 months was not able to be diagnosed. Below is the eulogy that was presented at her funeral by Monica, one of our nursery school teachers. We send our blessings to her family. * * * * * * A…
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Margaret Mschai Rises Above Life’s Challenges and Shares Her Future Aspirations
Margaret Mschai, a mother of two, makes her living by completing various tasks at the Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ eco-clothing factory, and is wholly grateful for it. Her tasks include trimming, folding and packaging the fabric and finished clothes. “I love what I do mostly because it is an important part in the chain of events that creates unique outfits for export,” she says, adding, “We cannot all be machinists or designers. Someone has to trim the loose threads and fold the clothes so that they are presented neatly for the final consumer.” As Margaret never had the chance to continue her education past primary school, she was therefore…
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Brown Kimonge Makes a Living from Screen Printing
Brown Kimonge, father of five and screen printer at the Wildlife Works Kasigau REDD+ Project screen printing facility, is the subject of our latest who’s who post. “I started work at Wildlife Works in January 2012,” Brown recalls. Born into a polygamous family in 1962, Brown was the fourth of twelve children. For as long as he’s able to recall, life has been a consistent struggle for survival. Like most children in rural Kenya, Brown walked to school barefoot and undertook menial jobs, including fishing at the local dam, to supplement his family’s income. Fortunately, Brown was able to progress up to his ‘O’ levels (standardized tests for high school-aged…
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Getting to know Daniel Munyao: Wildlife Works EPZ Factory Manager
In our latest who’s who profile series, we caught up with Daniel Munyao, production and quality control manager at the Wildlife Works EPZ factory as part of our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project. Daniel was born in Machakos County and recalls his early life as a constant struggle for survival. He frequently went to school hungry and without shoes on his feet. At a young age, Daniel was forced to stop attending due to the high financial stress it put on his parents. Fortunately soon after, a humanitarian organization called World Vision that had begun to form a presence in the area, was sponsoring young people to study vocational courses in…
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Elizabeth Juma Mwamkono: Utilizing an Opportunity
Elizabeth Juma Mwamkono, a seamstress in our eco-factory, can attest that life needs to be faced with every ounce of courage that can be mustered. Born and raised in Taru, Mombasa County, Elizabeth has faced a number of challenges in her life. Elizabeth said that while she was growing up, many of the young people in her neighborhood, faced with uncertain futures due to financial hurdles, turned to prostitution, drug abuse and violence. She was determined not to fall into these traps, and decided to focus her efforts on getting an education. Liz remembers being sent away from school frequently due to lack of funds, but even her prolonged absences…
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Fashion Designers Without Borders
By Joyce Hu, Creative Director, Wildlife Works Last month, Wildlife Works was honored to be part of Supply Change’s first annual Fashion Designers Without Borders’ sourcing safari that introduced participants to artisan groups and social enterprises located all over Kenya from Mombasa to the Rift Valley. A group of 6 U.S.-based fashion industry professionals traveled halfway around the world to meet some of Kenya’s most passionate social entrepreneurs that represent what change could mean in the global supply chain. The Wildlife Works team members who joined the group included our Design and Production Manager Yugala, our Kenya Office Manager Cara, our Kenya Production Supervisor Liesl and myself, the Creative Director.…
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Health, Wealth and Happiness: Rukinga Sanctuary hosts a health and finance management seminar for employees
Living in rural Kenya can mean limited access to formal institutions such as hospitals and banks. The closest hospital to Rukinga is St. Joseph Shelter of Hope located in the town of Voi, along with the closest bank. With Voi several hours away, many staff members at the Wildlife Sanctuary are paid in cash and find it hard to save money for the future. The Sanctuary’s Human Resources Department decided to host a special seminar bringing in speakers to teach Wildlife Works staff members how to stay on top of their health and finances. The goal of the talk was to provide employees with the tools needed for success. On…