Telephone Wire Baskets from South Africa
In the heart of KwaZuluNatal, the Zulu people of South Africa weave colorful and vibrant telephone wire baskets. These skilled weavers live in an area surrounding a small farm in Elandskraal and have perfected the art of telephone wire basketry. Traditionally, Zulus have woven for centuries with grass materials, but in more recent years have moved on to new and exciting mediums, including plastic bags, and of course telephone wire.

Soapstone from Kenya
The Fatrine Self Help Group soapstone artisans are located in Kenya. They produce custom made, beautiful soap stone carvings such as bowls and plates for local and export markets. They provide work for about 15 families, many widows suffering from HIV and AIDS. One goal is to eradicate poverty in the surrounding community and for each member to be able to have health insurance.
They search for the soap stone in mining holes, carefully removing the top layer of soil in order to reach the inner layers of soft stones for carvings. When they mine the soapstone they essentially dig a big pit in the ground (maybe 50-75 feet in diameter) using picks and shovels. The earth isn't gouged by heavy machinery. They are very careful not to waste any of the stones, and have attended seminars to learn how off-cuts can be salvaged to create small items like earrings, eggs and little animals. Soapstone is a metamorphic rock consisting mostly of the mineral talc. Sometimes known as steatite, it's very soft and frequently used for sculpting.
This is where Gifts of Life Charities is building the health center... for these artisans!

Handmade baskets from South Africa
Ilala weavers is situated at Hluhluwe within the province of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Established some 30 years ago, with a clear vision and objective of revitalising and enhancing the age-old Zulu tradition of handcrafts, which at the time were in danger of being lost forever. Today, Ilala Weavers helps over 2000 Zulu people, both men and women, to attain self sufficiency, by working from their homes and therefore retaining their lifestyle and rich heritage of basket weaving and bead work which has been passed down through the generations by Zulucrafters, whose modern counterparts today produce stunning works of art, sought after the world over.