How women sang their way into financial freedom through beadwork

In the deep end of Marsabit County, a group of Daasanach women sing a chawa song as they work on their beadwork, creating items such as bangles, beaded belts, key holders, necklaces, mats, bracelets, earrings, rings, anklets, beaded sandals, wall hangings, sculptures, portraits and animal figures.

Chawa is a local lively dance song that praises a slim girl relaxing under the shade. It is popularly sung in the evenings or when people are working.

The song and beadwork sessions are now a weekly routine for the women’s group, which also includes two men. Just two years ago, these women depended entirely on their husbands, who are historically pastoralists, keeping cattle and goats for milk and meat.

But today, the group is financially stable through selling their crafts. Naomi Akure, chairlady of the group, said that beadwork now earns them enough money to save through table banking, take loans and invest in other ventures such as goats and cattle.

“Our members make money from beadwork. Some have saved, taken loans, and bought more than ten goats, cattle and even opened shops. We no longer depend on our men. In fact, we help them provide at home,” she says.

Akure reflects that, in the past, women never viewed beadwork in terms of its commercial benefits. Historically, Daasanach women made beadwork, a vibrant form of artistic expression and cultural communication, deeply embedded in their traditions. The beads were used as a form of adornment to both men and women, with specific colours and patterns signifying age, social status and even marital status. But this was up to when they discovered the economic benefit of the beadwork.

The financial independence for the group started after the discovery of Homo erectus footprints in the Ileret area of Marsabit County. The site, dated to 1.5 million years ago, is located within the Daasanach community. And to turn it into the tourist centre it is today and attract both local and international tourists, there was a need for community involvement.

Income generating activities

Dr Purity Kiura, principal investigator at the National Museums of Kenya and chief research scientist, says that in the plans to manage and conserve the heritage of the site, they wanted local communities to remain actively involved through income-generating activities such as crafts, visual and performing arts, and digital technology.

She explained, the women were known for their vibrant and resourceful handicrafts, particularly their unique use of recycled materials to create jewellery and body adornments. Their crafts were not just decorative, but reflected their social structure, status, and cultural practices.

“We wanted the women’s craft group to capitalise on the diverse range of visitors to the site, including local, regional and international tourists interested in human origins, nature, and heritage tourism,” Kiura explained.

Cultural tradition

 They then partnered with the Ushanga Initiative to train the community members.

Kiura said, “Our team spent about five days assessing the women’s existing knowledge of beadwork and guiding them on new techniques. While the women already had a cultural tradition of beading, it was mostly informal and limited to specific events and festivals.”

Akure recalls that the museum team trained the women and introduced them to new aspects of beading, such as styles, smaller beads and improved finishing techniques. “Areas of training included understanding the heritage, basic beadwork skills, colour matching and design creation, product development as well as quality and finishing standards,” Kiura noted.

Within a short period, the women had made impressive progress.  An expert familiar with bead markets also trained the women on commercialisation, helping them understand pricing, sales strategies and the importance of not keeping their stock idle. After acquiring these new skills, Akure reveals that the women’s immediate challenge was figuring out where to source beads so they could begin producing beadwork on a commercial basis.

Fortunately, the museum team purchased the initial stock of beads for them, marking the beginning of their journey into commercial beadwork.

“After receiving the materials, we started making beadwork that promoted the footprint site, as well as products that could sell more broadly,” Akure says.

Savings account

The women’s group later attended a Marsabit County trade fair, where they sold many of their products.

They were later connected to groups of students visiting for their summer field programme, where they were able to sell hundreds of small items such as bracelets.

As a result, the group of women have been able to grow themselves financially.

Aside from having a savings account where they save their money, the group is registered with the county, thereby enabling them to receive more funding formally.

Akure notes with pride that their beadwork initiative has attracted significant attention from other non-governmental organisations that are interested in supporting livelihood-strengthening activities. Dan Korre, one of the two men in the women’s group, says the women’s efforts really motivated him to join the group. He says he initially saw the women forming groups and attending training sessions, and because he did not believe anything meaningful would come from them, he thought it was a joke.

However, he was shocked when the women started making progress and soon enough, they were earning money from their work. “Even though it was a women’s group, I wanted to join. I went ahead and asked them if I could become a member, and fortunately, they agreed. Two years down the line, I am still with the group. They taught me everything, and now I can make all types of beadwork,” he says.

Korre shares that, initially, it was difficult for community members to access money because their pastoralist lifestyle provided only meat and milk. This limited their ability to engage in other income-generating activities.

He says, “Today, I can access money easily. Apart from selling beadwork, I can also take loans through our table-banking group and invest in other activities. This helps me pay school fees for my children.”

The women’s group has limited beadwork sales largely because the region remains extremely remote, with long distances, poor infrastructure, particularly the road network, and no regular transport service from Marsabit town.

This makes it difficult for visitors to access the area. Despite these challenges, Akure notes that sales are still promising.

Each month, the group earns Sh20,000, and this amount goes up to Sh50,000 when they attend and sell at exhibitions or trade fair events in the county.

Jane Jilo Katelo, deputy director of Tourism in Marsabit County, says these community benefits have begun to open up the area, which was once unfavourable and economically neglected.

She notes that they have carried out extensive capacity building with the women’s group, particularly in teaching them how to sustain and market their crafts.

“Our plan is to build Daasanach huts at the site where the community can sell their products, from beads to traditional tools, to tourists,” she says.

Looking ahead, she notes that improving market access is a top priority for the group.