the women of kireka.
The Women of Kireka are ringing in the New Year with new successes. Thank-you to all those who have supported and continue to support our initiative.
We visited the women at the quarry on a gray and drizzly day for December in Kampala. The women gathered to see the client that, in the last few months, has been the sole source of creative inspiration (and additional income) on their journey out of the quarry.
The first order shipped out to the UK this past fall and PD personally picked up the payment for the women while we were in London for Africa Gathering. Similar orders have been trickling in from Ethnic Supplies that the women have been enthusiastically fulfilling.
Arguably the toughest part had to achieving the quality of finished product one would expect in the UK. Crushing stones isn’t a task that requires finesse per se; on the contrary, brute force is generally the order of the day. Making jewelry, requires a whole new set of talents that the women seem to be adapting to with cat-like flexibility. The process of approaching perfection and fit and polish isn’t instantaneous. If anything, it’s extremely situational and subjective. After all you are making jewelry. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but quality, polish and attention to detail are squarely in the hands of the women. Great quality means continued orders, shabby delivery could very well jeopardize a promising way of life.
