In just 15 years Neema Crafts has helped 120 people with disabilities find their way off the streets.
Founded in 2003, the Neema Crafts Centre was part of the Anglican Diocese of Ruaha project in Iringa, Tanzania, a country where around 10 per cent of the population are classified as having disabilities, according to the country’s 2012 census.
What started as training three young deaf boys, Josephat, David and Godfrey, to make paper from elephant dung and maize leaves to produce greetings cards has grown into a business which, since 2013, has been self-sustaining and no longer dependent on charitable donations. From its elephant dung beginnings, Neema Crafts Centre now boasts a workshop, a crafts shop, a restaurant and café and even a 10-bed guest-house – all staffed by locals with disabilities, making Neema Crafts a beacon of hope for the disabled population in the region.
“As well as the tangible benefits like a better wage and standard of living, Neema Crafts has raised the profile of people with disabilities in Tanzania,” said director Susan Tomes.
“We want to actually change attitudes. One of our workers recently came into the office and was delighted because his neighbour had asked for a loan.”