ABOUT US
COMMUNTIES INVOLVED |HISTORY |FAIRLY TRADED |COUNTRY PROFILE

Communities involved

Eswatini Swazi Kitchen is staffed entirely by local women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Presently, 32 full time and 20 part time women are employed

We buy all our fruit and vegetables from approximately 400 local rural farmers and growers. This includes small scale farms all over the Kingdom plus families and women who pick the wild Marula, Guava, Lemons and Chillies growing abundantly in Swaziland

Our gift baskets are made from Lutindzi grass woven by up to 400 women in remote mountain villages. The grass is finely platted into long strands, then deftly crafted into cylindrical shapes which fit around the base of the jars in either single or triple arrangement. The woven simplicity of the baskets lends its natural beauty to create a distinctive, elegant gift pack

Wooden spoons for our gift packs are carved by a local group of disabled adults. Men and women work from home after attending a rehabilitation center for two years where they learn the carving skills. This is an important employment generating project for the carvers, who can work and earn an income from their own home

The sisal basket weavers take the raw sisal and home dye it using entirely natural barks, flowers and fruits for the colouring. They then spin the fiber into long thick threads ready for weaving. The sisal is wrapped tightly around hard grass strands which are picked and dried by the ladies. The Swazi weaving expertise is handed down from mother to daughter keeping the traditional skill alive. The baskets are called sitja in siSwati which means ‘dish’. They are used for storage and carrying in everyday life.

Many of these people receiving an income from Eswatini Kitchen support not only their immediate but also extended families. In addition, we are a major source of finance for Manzini Youth Care, assisting them to operate youth projects. So the money you spend on Eswatini products really does make a difference!