About SAWA SAWA

Our Mission Is Sacred

SAWA SAWA exists to create sustainable solutions to poverty by harnessing ancient craftsmanship and empowering women through dignified work. Our mission shapes who we are, what we do, and how we do it and we consider it sacred.

We envision a world where women live free from strife, poverty, and despair, raising the next generation of empowered girls who are educated, confident, and equipped to lead. Because when you empower a woman, you uplift an entire community.

Our Story

In 2014, our founder Anne Drane, based in Austin, Texas, had a simple but powerful idea: reconnect with her roots by sourcing handmade goods from rural Kenyan women for her use, items filled with meaning, culture, and story. Her mother, back home in Kenya, began visiting artisan villages to purchase products. Word spread. More women began bringing their work, eager to earn an income.

Anne sold their pieces on Etsy, eBay, and at local markets in Texas laying the foundation for what would become SAWA SAWA.

When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, the mission shifted. In 2018, Anne reconnected with her friend Catherine, who had been empowering women through her church. In 2019, SAWA SAWA was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization. They continued organizing artisan groups, building operational systems, and forming a long-term, community-driven model for social impact.

Anne focused on commerce, fundraising, and marketing in the U.S., while Catherine coordinated with artisans, vendors, and local partners in Kenya.

2025 has seen changes in our leadership to be announced in due time. 

Who We Are Today

SAWA SAWA is a Black, female-founded sustainable nonprofit brand, rooted in ethical fashion, woman-led development, and conservation. We partner with artisan groups in Kenya to create high-quality handcrafted products including baskets, bags, decor, jewelry, and accessories made from locally sourced materials like sisal and leather.

Each purchase directly supports a woman and her family. Many artisans have gone on to start small farms, hire neighbors to help with childcare and harvests, and invest back into their villages growing the local economy from the ground up.

But SAWA SAWA is more than commerce. Our revenue helps fund vital community programs such as:

° Clean Water Access: Installed rainwater collection systems in Sekenani Village (Maasai Mara).

° Solar Lighting: Partnered with Unite to Light to distribute solar motion lights to reduce human-wildlife conflict in wildlife corridors, keep the artisans safe and illuminated.

° Menstrual Hygiene: Partnered with Could You? to provide sustainable menstrual cups and education for all our artisans and their daughters keeping the artisans active all weeks of the month and girls in school with dignity.

° Food Support & Education: We provide food and reproductive health education during artisan visits to foster well-being and reduce school dropouts.

While our core mission is empowering women, our impact ripples across conservation, education, health, and economic transformation.

Join the Movement

There are so many ways to be part of this mission:

° Shop our artisan-made products on Amazon, Macy's, Etsy, local partners and markets

° Donate funds, time, skills and even your vehicle everything helps.

° Travel with us to Kenya on a Rafiki Trip

° Spread the word, host a fundraiser, or invite us to speak

° Follow us on social media and join the community

Every product. Every gift. Every action is a piece of this sacred mission and we are so grateful for you. Thank you for walking this journey with us!