Greeting cards from Kenya
The cards of Kick Trading carry a special story. The greeting cards are made by the future and for a cleaner future. The Fairtrade company Kinsumu Inovation Center Kenya (KICK) Trading in Kenya offers young men and women in Kinsumu a place to work, learn new skills and earn a fair income. The impact on the lives of these young people is enormous. They can now mean something to the community and support their families.
After a cooking and grinding process, the paper is placed in the sun to dry in large frames. When the paper is dry, it is cut into different sizes, for example A1 or A3 format. All figures on the cards are made from waste products. The copper wire used is recycled from old refrigerators. The copper wire is then creatively twisted and bent into different designs. Cans of food, deodorant and soda are cut into various shapes and attached to form the final product.
The cards are made by hand from white waste paper that is mixed with water hyacinth and other weed leaves. The water hyacinth is a destructive aquatic plant species that spreads quickly and is able to swallow 100 hectares of Lake Victoria in one week. This is very annoying for anglers because their boats get stuck in the thick web of roots. Therefore, local families work together to effectively harvest the plant and use it artisanally for cards and other paper objects.
Kick Trading is all about the future. Giving hope to a new generation and, by recycling waste, ensure a greener future.
View the handmade greetingcards from Kenya in our catalog
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