SAWA SAWA began in 2014 when Anne Drane, with the help of her mother in Kenya, started working with women artisans in rural villages. What began as a personal connection to home and heritage grew into a mission to create sustainable, locally led solutions to poverty through traditional craftsmanship.

Anne’s mother helped her connect with artisan women, many of whom walked for miles to deliver their handwoven baskets. These encounters revealed the incredible artistry, resilience, and potential of rural women and planted the seed for what would become SAWA SAWA.

🌍 Building a Movement

In 2019, as the small initiative known as Anne Drane Collection evolved into SAWA SAWA, Anne extended the title of co-founder, a title originally shared with her mother, to a long-time friend to foster collaboration and a sense of belonging as the organization grew on a modest, bootstrapped budget.

Together, they helped expand operations in Kenya, working directly with artisans and local leaders to strengthen community partnerships. During this time, SAWA SAWA grew the artisan groups, established a community home base in the Maasai Mara, working closely with Chief Kasoe of Sekenani village, and organized the first Rafiki Trip an immersive eco travel experience connecting board members and supporters to the artisans and conservation areas that define the mission.

By 2025, SAWA SAWA faced a period of transformation that called for renewed leadership and clarity of mission and purpose. Following a series of challenges that affected the organization’s alignment and structure, Anne Drane, as the founding director, resumed full leadership with the full support of the board, friends of SAWA SAWA, and a newly strengthened operations team on the ground in Kenya.

This period marked not just a return, but a rebirth, a reaffirmation that the mission is sacred and that sustainability, transparency, and community ownership remain at the heart of everything SAWA SAWA stands for.

The Heart of Our Mission

As a mother herself, Anne understands the deep desire of every woman to provide for her children and build a better future. Under her leadership, SAWA SAWA continues to empower women in rural Kenya many of whom have lifted themselves and their families out of poverty through weaving, beading, and entrepreneurship.

The women we partner with have:

Formed microfinance groups to support one another.

Built homes, granaries, and small businesses.

Purchased livestock to feed and sustain their families.

Sent girls to school with dignity and opportunity.

Each woman’s success is a story of resilience and a reflection of what’s possible when empowerment is locally led, sustainable, and grounded in community.

Anne Drane is based in Austin, Texas with her husband and daughter. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Conservation Through Community

At SAWA SAWA, we believe that conservation starts with people. Our work empowers women living in wildlife corridors, creating sustainable livelihoods that reduce poverty-driven environmental pressure and strengthen harmony between communities and nature.

Through partnerships with organizations like Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Unite to Light, and Could You?, SAWA SAWA integrates economic empowerment, conservation, and education proving that when women thrive, ecosystems thrive too.

Together with our partners, we are lighting homes, conserving wildlife, and building a future where women lead the way toward lasting change.

Our Vision

From its humble beginnings in 2014 to its renewed strength in 2025, SAWA SAWA stands as a movement, a global community rooted in local leadership.

We remain committed to creating sustainable, locally led solutions that honor craftsmanship, empower women, protect wildlife, and restore balance between people and the planet.

Because when you support women, the whole community thrives and together, we can ensure that every story, every life, and every landscape is part of a more just and sustainable world. 🌿