Our relationship with Nachami Beadwork, Samburu Kenya

I personally met Lilian when visiting Kenya in 2019 and I stayed at Enaidura Luxury Camp in the Maasai Mara where she was working.

I admired the beadwork that was for sale here and I purchased a few items, but I was short of cash for one pair of earrings, so Lilian let me take them and I told her I would get the money from my tent later.  When I came back to pay for them Lilian told me they “had been taken care of” but wouldn’t say any more – just smiled and told me no worries. It was my birthday that day, and the team at Enaidura made me feel very special, but when I found out later that the earrings were a gift for me from Lilian herself I was extremely humbled and grateful.

What a beautiful gesture from my sister!

Lilian and I kept in touch via Facebook, and we often touched base to check in on each other during Covid, knowing that both of our livelihoods relied on tourism.

We may have been from different backgrounds, different countries, different cultures, but we were both the same – both wanting to earn an income to support our families and provide the best for our children. 

It would be almost an entire year after Lilian gifted me those earrings, but we got chatting one day about them and she told me her story ….. Click here to read her story.