VIKAPU BOMBA

Support Artisan’s who make high quality handwoven Iringa baskets and bags

Starting with an initial group of six women artisans in Iringa region in Tanzania, Vikapu Bomba (means “Fantastic Baskets) now work with over 60 artisans. Their high quality handwoven Iringa baskets and bags are currently sold in over 30 high-end shops in Tanzania, Japan, Europe and the US. Among the most important impacts of Vikapu Bomba is that weaving incomes are constant and reliable. This is contrast to artisans’ previous subsistence farming livelihoods which were seasonal and dependent on climatic conditions.

More specifically, Vikapu Bomba incomes enable artisans to send their children to better schools and cover medical bills. Many artisans regularly deposit parts of their weaving income in local savings groups. This allows them to have money available when they need it to pay for school fees, medical costs or emergencies. Several artisans were able to purchase solar panels for charging household appliances and phones and to have light at night. A number of artisans even reinvested their weaving income into small-scale agricultural businesses as a secondary source of income. Mie met Catherine Shembilu, a founder and managing director of Vikapu Bomba in 2016 while she was living in Iringa, Tanzania. Since then, Mie has been raising funds to assist this beautiful project and organization. She continues to work in partnership with Vikapu Bomba giving support by raising funds through yoga classes, promoting sales of their beautiful baskets products in Europe and Japan.