Quotes from our producers in Kenya and how the products are made.  

This is from our basket maker (uncannily named Moses !!).

My names are MOSES MUTIE born in Kenya (Africa) and still living in Kenya. I am married to one wife and blessed with three son ; first born currently in the university and this is MY STORY with Aspiga:   About five years ago I met the director of Aspiga, Lucy macnamara in an humble market slightly outside Nairobi Kenya; I approached her and when she accorded me audience I told her what I can do and from there we exchanged ideas and its at this time she asked me if i can develop a brand of baskets which she had in mind which could sell in Europe and with out hesitating I took the challenge and since then I have not regretted.

The traditional name for the baskets i do for Aspiga is "KIKAPU" The material used to make these baskets are reeds which grow in swampy areas , mostly old men and women weave them . I buy the baskets from them , giving them income which is rear in those remote places and by this they can take their children to school and buy food and medicine.

The beed work used to decorate the baskets I design them and give them to women in the slums, some who are HIV victims and living in abject poverty .. After they do the beed work i collect it and pay them and this gives them an income to support their families and themselves . The leather  handles of the baskets are done by men artisans who too have found a source of income since its extremely difficulty to find even the least of jobs you can imagine.

Before I found a connection with Aspiga it was extremely difficulty to feed my family, pay school fees for my children and even paying house rent was a problem.  ASPIGA LTD has changed my own life and my family and many others right from the villages to the slums of Nairobi Kenya.

Whoever you are from wherever you are reading this message from I would encourage you to by ASPIGA products for when you do so you are truly touching a soul some where in Africa in a great way.BUY ASPIGA PRODUCTS AND FEED A HUNGRY PERSON IN AFRICA; THIS IS SATISFYING.  GOD BLESS YOU ALL FRIENDS OF AFRICA; LONG LIVE ASPIGA LTD.   REGARDS MOSES MUTIE.

From our Sandal and Belt makers

“I have been making sandals for aspiga for four years now, and each year we get steady orders which we are happy about.   We recruit unskilled men and women (most of them are one of the following tribes:  Maasai, Kikuyu, Giriama, Taita and Luo), we then train them in beadwork and sandal making (the ladies do the bead work and the men work with the leather and the rubber).  90% succeed within 2 weeks. Most workers have been working with us for over three years and have either purchased small farms in their villages, invested in cattle or are educating their children through primary and secondary schools.  We assist them with small interest free loans periodically and also subscribe to a governmental retirement agency for most of them.”

"We have been running our sandal making business for three years and our quality has got better and better each year, but we are still very small and all the work is done in the back of our house, where all the workers come to do the hand sewing, stitching and cutting the rubber and the leather and I watch over to keep an eye on the quality.   We are delighted to have started working for aspiga in 2009, and are very pleased with the big orders we are receiving.  We hope to soon be able to afford our own workshop area where we can employ more people.”

“I have been making sandals and belts for aspiga for 5 years.  I now employ  35 people in my small local town and I pay them all fair wages and I give them food when they turn up to work in the mornings.  I am grateful for the work we receive from aspiga.”