About the Producer

Member of the World Fair Trade Organization

• Located in Kenya
• Addressing the needs of the urban poor since 1973
• Provides underprivileged Kenyans small enterprise development, informal skills training, affordable shelter, job creation and health programs

With the goal of defending the rights and welfare of children in special circumstances, Undugu Society of Kenya has addressed the needs of the urban poor since 1973. In the early 1970s, barely ten years after Kenya's independence, no government programmes existed to help the poor. Migration to the city by desperate villagers resulted in overcrowded slums and high unemployment. The sight of homeless boys trying to survive through begging, stealing and directing motorists to parking places became commonplace.

While it began with basic shelter facilities, the Undugu Society soon grew to include education programs, health care, and counselling for boys and children who would otherwise have to live on the street. Today, Undugu, a Kiswahili word for "solidarity and brotherhood", touches thousands of underprivileged Kenyans through small enterprise development, informal skills training, affordable shelter, job creation and health programs. The organization's handicraft division provides employment for over 450 families making stone carvings and baskets in places such as Kisii, Turkana, Machakos, and Nairobi, the income of which helps to break the cycle of poverty and reduce the number of people flocking to the city.