This is “The Kathy.”

Caring, methodical, dedicated, passionate…she is the woman who handles so much for The Leakey Collection.  As the warehouse manager, she orchestrates the inventory received from the bush of Kenya and makes sure it quickly gets into the hands of our valued partners across the globe.   As you can imagine, with limited communication in the Maasai Mara and unforeseen circumstances, such as re-routing a shipment due to volcanic activity, each day brings a different challenge.

From DKNY to small stores across the U.S., you can now find “The Kathy,” our newest color of Zulugrass.  It has been named in honor of our very own Kathy, who gracefully handles the many crazy things that come her way!  If you’re lucky enough to meet her, you’ll agree that this strand suits her peaceful personality!  We hope it brings you the joy and serenity of a perfect wave!

Monique is an author and a Mom of two who knows how to really stretch a dollar on one income. Her latest review of our jewelry has a fantastic picture of our Beads for Learning.  Bracelets made by Mommies to educate their kids. Love it!

Cultures from around the world have always interested me from a very young age.  When I turned eight, my parents co-founded the Leakey Foundation to support the work of Drs. Louis and Mary Leakey in East Africa. Their work in Paleoanthropology and Archeology inspired my generation to view mankind in a new way.   In the early years, the foundation operated from our home.  My parents installed extra phone lines, and soon the house was filled with casts of bones, stacks of paperwork and volunteers. Louis and Mary would stay with us, and in one of Louis’ books,  he even refers to our home as “Nairobi West”.

By the time I was a young teen, I was babysitting Jane Goodall’s son, Grub, and soon after that, I was driving the Leakeys to their lecture engagements.  I used to sit and listen to scientists from all around the world talking about mankind and cultures in far off places, which set the tone for both my art and my curiosity about life in different cultures.

But as many differences as we think we might have, there are similarities we all share. Our culture at The Leakey Collection is all about women helping women and creating a bridge that connects you with women in Kenya, who like many of you, send their children off to school each morning.

A mother’s day in Kenya begins around 5:30 in the morning when she wakes to stoke the fire to prepare  hot tea, served with milk and sugar. She then makes breakfast of porridge with lemon and salt, preparing her children for their walk to school which starts at 8:00 A.M.

On the way to school, each child will pick up one stick to contribute to the cooking fire for a lunch time meal of hot maize.

The education curriculum consists of  math, science, religious studies, English, Swahili and civics, which is quite similar to American civic classes.  In the rural areas of Kenya, chalk is found in the wild and used on homemade chalk boards (a piece of plywood painted with chalkboard paint).  All children are given exercise books, and the government provides the subject books when they can.   Not all schools have access to these books and certainly not for every pupil. For budgetary reasons, pencils without erasers are the only tools used. No protractors, rulers or other school supplies are available. We don’t have access to computers in the rural part of Kenya.   Only private schools offer computer science classes for upper classmen, ages 13 to 17.

The children have breaks for playing such games as football (American soccer) with homemade balls made from bits of plastic wrapped with torn cloth.  After school,  teams will play against each other during football season, which tends to be  much of the year because of our climate.

The school year begins in January instead of September.  It runs a full year with 3 month-long breaks; the first around Easter, the second in August and the last in December. We have Primary School for ages 7 to 12 and Secondary School for ages 13-17.  Secondary School is 4 years and referred to as Form 1, Form 2, Form 3 and Form 4.

Teacher student ratios are very high, usually 1 teacher per 75 students. We  hope to lower that ratio to improve the quality of the learning conditions in the classroom. More teachers give struggling students more attention.

Our Beads for Learning Bracelets have been wildly popular thanks to you, and we hope that continues.  These bracelets are the creation of a mother’s love to educate her children.

If you want to thank a teacher for the impact they’ve made on your life or someone you know,  tell us here for your chance to win a gift that provides a gift when you share it with others - two Beads for Learning Bracelets.  Meanwhile, I will be wearing mine at my next tea with the ladies.

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Katy & Philip Leakey live in the East Rift Valley, Kenya next to their neighbors, the Maasai.  To find out more about the Leakey’s and their mission to make the world a better place, check out their story here.

Last week over 300 store owners from 30 states and Canada traveled to Mexico, Missouri for 3 days of education, shopping, and fun. The event was held by Songbird Station, a beautiful store in Columbia, and we are very proud to have our Zulugrass displayed there!

Songbird Station owner, Mel Toellner, explained, “When we opened our new store in early 2007, we incorporated the best ideas we’ve seen, and learned from our over 2,000 wholesale customers across the United States.  On this day, folks from all over the United States will see the results, and take ideas back home to better serve consumers in their market.”

Mel, owner of Songbird Station & Jan

I had the opportunity to go to their show myself and I have really enjoyed meeting so many warm and friendly people, who are all so enthusiastic about the wonders of nature.  I even saw a NY Giants Bird House that I might just have to buy!!  For several years we have been selling our Zulugrass jewelry to other nature stores, such as Wild Birds Unlimited and Wild Bird Centers.

Our “Beads for Learning”

AND

“Friendship Bracelets” are the clear winners at this show!

I am still looking to find my first “Feed Store” though!  I think it is only appropriate that we have a FEED store selling our Zulugrass since the Maasai in Kenya depend largely on their cattle for their livelihood!

We love cows!

Sadly, when drought comes to Kenya many cattle die and the Maasai are severely affected by this. However, we are happy to say that the women who have been beading for the past several years can now contribute to their family’s income so it helps when the rains don’t come.  The grass we harvest for the jewelry is drought resistant so this further enables the Maasai to “save for a non rainy day!”

Thank you to Songbird Station and to all of our other stores in this industry.  You are true partners and we salute you for making a difference in the world!

I AM: Jan Syvertsen and I am part of the Leakey Sales Team working with incredible store owners  who love our product line and support our mission, providing the gift of opportunity.   I was born and raised in Congo and Kenya, but moved to the States for college! I currently reside in New York, with my husband, Lloyd.  Together we have raised 4 sons, the last of which just graduated from college!  We are trying hard not to make a sequel to the movie “Failure to Launch”  as two still live at home!   I recently became a mother in law so I am  slowing gaining ground in my male dominated life!

Carol is a stay at home mom who writes a fun blog called Songberries.  Her tag line, “Life Is An Adventure“, resonates so deeply with me.  Living in the East Rift Valley of Kenya is a constant  adventure and I think about how incredibly amazing it is when our story and products bring our worlds closer together…sharing our adventures.  Read her review

-Katy

Shannon is a Mom who home schools her three children and writes a blog called Ugga Mugga.  This week she wrote a story about a tradition that her husband has with their children. “My husband takes our children to a shop in town that carries all natural, handmade, and fair trade products, and lets them pick things out for me,” Shannon writes.  Her daughter, Martha, picked out some of her favorite jewelry pieces.  We love our Moms that constantly talk about our jewelry and our mission.   There is no doubt that Shannon is making a difference in the lives of her children, as well as to the women who follow her blog, and today she made a difference for our Maasai Moms in the bush of Kenya, who also know what it means to “Ugga Mugga.”  -Katy Leakey

Meet Laura. I’m the wife of a loving, hard working man and the mother of  fantastic kids, and I write a blog called A Place For Everything.”  Laura has written a review on our product line, and we thought we would share her findings.

Today is Global Teachers Day.

Philip has a saying in the bush. “You have wasted a day if you haven’t learned something new.” It is Philip’s passion and knowledge of plants that identified a grass that would be used in our Zulugrass jewelry.  He enjoys making something out of sustainable natural materials and nature’s discards.

Philip is a teacher as well.  He grew up with the Maasai and understands their culture well. He knows that if you give them a stake in their future and teach them the skills to navigate, the future looks brighter.  That is why our biggest goal is to one day build a school to teach new trade skills that will open more doors of opportunity without disrupting the cultures of people.

We, of course, started The Leakey Collection to help our neighbors who were suffering due to a severe drought in 2001. We have designed a work system that does not disrupt the culture of the Maasai and which provides  sustainable opportunities for those who wish to earn income. Women can earn enough to feed their families, provide healthcare and education while still having the flexibility to manage her family life and attend her cultural traditions.

Maasai mothers are no different than any other mother. They know the value of an education falls closely behind food and health care. They understand the importance and the doors of  opportunity that are available when you educate your children.  We agree!

In the bush, teacher-student ratios are high – anywhere from 1 teacher to 75 students, which can impact the learning process in the classroom.  Because of this, we tried  to figure out how we could reduce this ratio to a more manageable number.

Over the years, we have collected unused beads in our product development.  As you may have heard me say before, nothing goes to waste here in the bush.  And I just knew that we would be able to use those beads in a future project.

With Beads of Learning, you can literally buy bracelets and educate kids.

- 100% of our profits from the sales of these bracelets will go to pay for local teachers’ salaries.
- Every 5 strands sold equals one day’s salary.
- Employing just one extra teacher brings opportunity to hundreds of children and their families.

And for a limited time you can BUY 5 BEADS FOR LEARNING BRACELETS AND GET ONE FREE!

It is no secret what a big fan we are of Sara Snow.  She pushed a little love our way today and as always, the feeling is mutual. Sara has an abundance of knowledge and insight on how we can improve our lives.

Bravo, Sara!

October 4th is World Habitat Day,  which is designed to raise awareness of a basic right of all earth’s inhabitants for adequate shelter, and it is a day to remind the world that we have a collective responsibility for the future of human habitat.

This year, the United Nations chose the theme Better City, Better Life to focus on a vision of a sustainable urban world that mitigates inequalities and provides a home for people in all cultures.

As many of you know, Philip and I live beside our neighbors, the Maasai, in the East Rift Valley of Kenya. Although we live in a tent structure made of strong canvas, the Maasai homes are much different.

HISTORY of the Maasai

The Maasai people are believed to have moved to this area around 1500, bringing their cattle with them when they moved.

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The Maasai culture is one of social structure, and each community has rules that govern daily chores.

For example, it is Maasai tradition that the women are responsible for building the home, which is called Inkajijik.  They take several months to build. Although all the houses conform to a basic oblong shape, the women are creative and can vary the entrance locations or decorate the exterior with symbolic markings. The framework is made of closely woven sticks. Gaps are stuffed with leaves and grass, and the whole structure is then plastered, by hand, with fresh cow-dung. When it dries, it becomes as strong as cement.

In the bush, survival is totally reliant on using sustainable materials to provide shelter. Nothing is wasted.

Similar natural materials have allowed our company, The Leakey Collection, to create beautiful products out of nature’s discards while providing opportunities to the Maasai, who have suffered in recent years because of severe drought conditions that threatened their livelihoods.

World Habitat Day reminds us that it is a collective responsibility for the future of human habitat and shelter, and it aligns with our mission to make a difference in the world. How will you contribute?

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Katy & Philip Leakey live in the East Rift Valley, Kenya next to their neighbors, the Maasai.  To find out more about the Leakey’s and their mission to make the world a better place, check out their story here.