My friends, I would like to share with you another African successs story about women with disabilities. Started as a Girl Guide project in Eastern Kenya in 1992, Shanzu Transitional Workshop enables young women with disabilities to gain skills that enable them to become productive and confident members of the community and society. The girls arrive at Shanzu at the age of 17 to start a two year training program. During their stay they learn production skills and tailoring, as well as gain basic business experience and a vast array of other skills. Upon completion of the two-year training, each girl leaves with a tailoring qualification, a sewing machine and personal skills that better equip her for an independent life. Many of the graduates continue to work with Shanzu, producing products for export orders. The girls and graduates are paid a share of the profits when their work is sold to tourists and passers-by and now internationally through fair trade organizations such as www.ArtOfUbuntu.com. All of the products carry the distinctive Shanzu patch, not hidden inside but proudly sewn where everyone can see it. The young women at Shanzu Traditional Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya have taken the traditional Kikoy shirt and made it their own, using brightly colored kikoys and finishing each shirt with the black Shanzu label on the outside of the back of the shirt. They are one-size but actual measurement has them varying from 24" - 26" from underarm seam to underarm seam and from 32" to 34" from the shoulder seam to the bottom of the fringe or finished edge. With patch pockets and fringe. As with all the Shanzu items this is a very high quality item and well worth the price tag. www.ArtOfUbuntu.com has just received a shipment of these shirts. If you would like to view them, please visit: http://www.artofubuntu.com/product_info.php?products_id=100 In an African cultural context ubuntu means, a person becomes an ancestor worthy of respect or veneration based on how they interact with humanity. The Art of Ubuntu pays a fair price for products in an effort to be a part of the economic solution for all African communities. Proudly display these culturally significant items in your home or office and embrace the notion of Ubuntu, benefiting yourself and our brothers and sisters in Africa.

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