We have been really lucky to have a Peace Corps volunteer in our site who works so closely with us and mentors us in our business ventures and financial planning. She has also been letting us use her home and cooking shelter as our work space; so much so that our supplies are beginning to overflow out into her living space.
We have known that we would eventually need to have a work space of our own and have been planning to make sure it is a safe space for all women and children in our community. And then there is the issue of funding. Where do we find the money? How can we afford to build something that will last?
We could have written a grant or tried to ask for donations. But ultimately, we wanted the space and all aspects of our organization to be fully ours. To be continue to be empowered. So we decided to raise the money the best way we know how: using our skills.
Introducing the Nyumba Beach Tote:
Nyumba (nee – yoom – bah) means home in our local language, Chinyanja. We created this bag specifically for our building efforts. Every cent earned will go towards the construction of a work space. We even decided as a group to forego earning a wage so that we could maximize our building fund. We want to raise about $2000 dollars to complete construction. So far, we are about half way there.
The tote is approximately 18 inches by 22 inches and about 6 inches deep. It is fully lined with a padded interior for extra durability. There are pockets on the interior and exterior. All materials are sourced in Zambia.
If you want to inquire about ordering, please email us at kagundawomen@gmail.com. Currently we can only take orders from Zambia of 10 bags or more to keep costs economical.
Kagunda Women 