Mama Leah: From the shade of a tree to the light of leadership
A canopy of leaves stretching across the horizon balances atop gnarled bark. It’s where lean silhouettes of giraffes mark the ground as they graze its branches and it’s where one woman’s journey to empowerment began—beneath the Acacia tree.
Mama Leah was the first woman to join Artisans. Shaded by the hot Kenyan sun, she sat under the tree with other Maasai women and shared stories as they beaded. It was a place where she could do the handiwork she loved using traditions learned from her mother. Soon, this shaded area would serve as a catalyst for improving her life and the lives of many women in her community.
Selling the beautifully beaded pieces at the local market was unsuccessful. Other women were trying to earn some sort of income through beading, too, which kept prices extremely low, making the trek to market more trouble than what it was worth. With three sons and a daughter at home, Mama Leah struggled to put food in their bellies and afford fees to send them to school.
When she met Roxanne, founder and CEO of ME to WE Artisans, Mama Leah’s life started to drastically change. Together, they formed a group of 20 women and began small beading projects which earned every mama stable wages.
“I used my money to buy one sheep and build a new house for my family,” she explained. “And I was able to educate my kids!”
Beading up to 50 rafikis in a day, the groups of Maasai mamas grew larger and larger under the Acacia trees. Now, over 1,200 of them have turned their traditional art form into a livelihood. Like Mama Leah, some have even used their wages to buy goats, a coveted animal in the community that provides daily nutrition and income from milk. It also gives a family the chance to send their children to school.
“It’s not common for a mama to buy a goat because it’s expensive—only the men buy them,” added Mama Leah. “But with work from Artisans, we’re able to. A goat is just like a bank because you increase your money. You buy it at a cheap price and once it grows fat, you can multiply that price when you sell it.”
Since buying multiple goats and affording to send her children to school, she says she understands what it means to be an independent woman and is happy she can take care of her family.
“Empowerment means you have changed from one thing to another,” explained Mama Leah.” Before, I was a mama taking care of my animals but now, I work for myself, I depend on myself and I can support my family.”
To shop Artisans products that support the empowerment of women like Mama Leah, visit metowe.com/shop
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