The Kenyan Collection Story

 

The Kenyan Collection Story

"Joan Schultz, the founder, was living in Kenya when a group of Maasai herded 13 of their precious cattle to the US Embassy in Nairobi to express their condolences to the families affected by the events of September 11. The gift of the cattle, which are so precious to the Maasai, was a way to say how wrong that event was and how sorry they were for our losses. It made us realize that we all have 'gifts' to share and we do what we can to make a difference to help each other in spite of our own constraints. What we are doing is not charity or a hand-out, but just as the Maasai and many other Kenyans extended their hand in sympathy and concern in their own way, we are reciprocating in our way by providing guidance and presenting their talents to a demanding market."

"Why is The Kenyan Collection NOT a non-profit? Because the Kenyans felt that setting up as a non-profit would suggest donations are required or desired to sustain this operation and customers would need to manage expectations in terms of quality of products. These are both assumptions the Kenyans specifically wanted to challenge….and they have. We don’t want your donation, we want your business which we will earn by ensuring every customer is satisfied with the product purchased with their hard earned money. While there are many who have tried to duplicate some of the work and designs of our artisans, in terms of creativity, consistency, and quality we are sure you will agree there is no comparison."

The Kenyan Collection