Beautiful earrings, necklaces crafted from bones

For many, the usefulness of bones end at the slaughter and consumption of meat, but a creative group in Nairobi’s Kibera slums has found a way to create beautiful art pieces from this waste material.

The Kibera Recycle Bone Products Self Help Group daily collects bones of all shapes and sizes, which they use to make beautiful necklaces, bangles and earrings, as well as artefacts for sale.

Located in Soweto, one of the slums in Kibera, the group was founded in 1990 by four people, among them the current Chairman Raphael Owino and Bernard Gor, the treasurer. Owino says the idea was mooted after a friend, who worked at a curio shop in the city centre, informed them that the traditional crafts they sold were products of bones.

At first they were reluctant.

“We could not associate the beautiful products with bones. He convinced and encouraged us to try and make bone products. We agreed to try our luck since most of us were idle,” says Owino.

During this time, bones were readily available and free of charge. They collected cattle bones and their friend trained them on how to make various products. After three months, they were ready to go.

Gor says they needed machines to make work easier, so they each contributed money and bought a machine for sandpaper and polishing at Sh3,000. Today they have six different machines for drilling, splitting polishing and sandpapering of different textures.

The demand for their products rose steadily and they were forced to take in more people. Those who came were trained how to manufacture bone products either manually or with the use of the machines.

Many youth in the slums have benefited from the group’s training and skills and have started their businesses. Others have opted to stay in the group, which currently has 14 members.

It surprises them that something that started as joke has become their permanent job for many years.

“We make good money and pay our bills from business proceeds,” says Owino.

The initiative also reaches out to HIV positive women.

“Our neighbourhood has a number of women living with HIV and lack a source of income. Although the Government and NGOs provide them with anti-retroviral drugs and sometimes food, they also need rent, fees for their children and clothing,” says Owino.

The group invites and trains these women twice a week, free of charge and also helps them market their products.

Gor says by helping others, they are giving back to the society. “We demonstrate that you need not be rich to help others. Everyone has the ability to help, even in a small way,” says  Gor.

The group also gives food and other donations to the community-owned Soweto Nursery School.

The group initially got bones free of charge but these days they buy from restaurants and the Dagoretti slaughter houses. The demand for the raw materials has risen over time because many people now engage in similar businesses. This has in turn driven up bone prices.

They say bone craft work requires a lot of creativity and one has to be aware of the market needs and the changing products. The group sells their products locally and internationally.

Besides the stiff competition from similar businesses and lack of ready markets for their business, the group is exploited by brokers.

“They buy at throwaway prices only to sell and make huge profits. They have contracts and access to the right markets,” says Gor.

The group plans to start a commercial bone craft company, to curb the increasing cases of unemployment in slums and in turn reduce crime. As they craft their next set of handicrafts, it is their prayer that leaders link them with foreign markets.