A Mile Wide, A Mile Deep

As the holiday season nears, we’re ramping up production in Kenya.

Crispy leaves and the season’s first snows are just around the corner, and with it ‘tis the season for LOVE and gift giving. We’re gearing up for a busy holiday season at Love Is Project HQ, and wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re doing to prepare.

We’re privileged and thankful to be anticipating a record number of LOVE bracelet orders this season, and while that’s good news for us, it’s also good news for our loyal and talented Kenyan artisans.

Years of drought have caused famine and fighting, especially in Northern Kenya. These conditions have impacted our partners in the Maasai and Samburu tribes, who are traditionally pastoralists—they move around with the seasons, grazing their cattle. While this nomadic way of life was an asset for centuries, it also means that they’ve been disproportionately impacted both financially and environmentally by climate change.

Where do we come in? In a word: jobs. Rather than being at the mercy of the seasons and the rains, we’re able to offer artisans a stable opportunity to earn incomes that nourish their families’ bodies with food and minds with education. Steady employment insulates them from the environmental perils of climate change and the terrible social impact of war. Our partnerships with local organization have verifiably positive impacts on their community, and encourage conservation of natural resources.

With that in mind, we’re saying an extra thank you this year for the 17,000+ bracelets our partners are producing and helping us to sell this holiday season. This purchase volume has allowed us to scale Love Is Project production to all corners of Kenya, from North to South and East to West, and to provide nearly 6 months of steady employment for talented women who need it. We simply couldn’t do it without you.

Here’s a closer look at our Kenyan partners:

Working artisans on Love is project = 661
220 CTC in Ngong - (used to be 150, now more!)
42 Samburu Trust(22 women on the A-team and 20 in training)
220 at the Maa Trustin the Maasai Mara
100 at Northern Rangelands Trust at Lewa Downs
80 at Wildlife Works in Tsavo
29 at the Semet Collection in Ngong
15 from Catherine's group in Ngong 

Thank you for being a part of our community, and for doing your part to spread LOVE around the world!

xo Chrissie

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