The Obunga slums on the outskirts of Kisumu in Kenya seem an unlikely place for a bustling community center but there among the sea of tin roofs sits the City of Hope.

City of Hope is the Center that houses the Teenage Mothers & Girls Association of Kenya (TEMAK) Project, Katolo Community Center Project and other Community Projects, where hope and support is available for the most vulnerable~women and children~in the community.

The building project at completion is projected to house ten Vocational Training Workshops, eight Primary school classrooms and a Kindergarten, Half-way home, Dormitory for the girls, a Multi-Purpose Hall, an Administrative Block, a Clinic, a Counseling Unit and a Chapel.

TEMAK provides an educational forum for health-related issues including HIV/AIDS awareness programs, offers job training to unwed mothers and others interested in learning hairdressing, craft making, tailoring, computer and secretarial skills.

These learned skills quickly translate into jobs giving participants the opportunity to earn income to support themselves and their families. Additionally, TEMAK funds Afrika Pamoja Crafts, a craft center for artisans and craftspeople in the town of Kisumu providing both a local and international sales outlet for sustainable product distribution.

Our beaded necklaces come to us from the skillful young Maasai women who make thousands of paper beads starting with old magazine, calendar & brochure pages. The artisans cut paper into triangles then roll it to produce both chunky and narrow beads. The beads are finished off with a coat of high-gloss varnish that gives them the look of polished stone or wood! The girls then use a mixture of their handmade beads and Maasai glass seed beads to create the distinctive necklaces that we offer you here!