Over the past 15 years, BeadWORKS, a World Fair Trade Organisation-certified enterprise, has established an organised network of 1,200 women beaders from nine NRT member community conservancies in northern Kenya.

These artisans produce high-quality, handcrafted products that are sold locally and internationally, across Africa, North America, Australia, and Europe.

Women hold the keys to building a sustainable future for their communities. They are best positioned to make decisions that improve their families’ health and welfare, and use cooperative structures to drive positive social change.

By providing access to domestic and global markets, BeadWORKS is fostering the social and economic empowerment of women in the remotest parts of northern Kenya’s ASALs, who are confronted with profound difficulties, including gender-based violence, poverty, malnutrition, and insecurity.