Based in Mombasa, Kenya, the Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre is a non-profit organization which uses artisanry, craft-making and design to empower men and women of all abilities. The organization has been around for about forty years in some incarnation or another and is currently a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation.
Bombolulu has worked with bigwigs like People Tree to create the Wheelchair Campaign jewelry collection that takes gold to places its never been -- design-wise, of course. What's more, the group also creates leather goods like keychains, shoulder bags and sandals; textiles (chiefly, tote bags); and wood carvings ranging from salad spoons to children's toys and art structures.
While legally a non-profit, the Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre is entirely self-sustaining, meaning it carries with it the ethos of the triple bottom line and the principles of a social business. In the end, its purpose is to "empower people with disability socially and economically, and to enable them realize their full potential in their lives," according to the Bombolulu website.
In order to achieve that goal, the Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre relies on six core values to maintain a strong initiative that continues to succeed: fairness, excellence, empowerment, integrity, learning organization and team work. Call these their secrets of success -- except they're not so secret at all but rather, should be considered standard business and organizational practice. And hopefully one day, with more and more initiatives like Bombolulu, this will become the reality.
Contact Information:
Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre Website
P.O. Box 83988
Mombasa, Kenya
80100
Telephone: +(254) 20 2399716
Telephone: +(254) 723 560933
Telephone: +(254) 733 811603
Kenyan Art Clinics
The Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre Empowers Artisans of All Abilities
Trend Themes
1. Empowering Artisans - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop platforms or marketplaces that empower artisans of all abilities to showcase and sell their work globally.
2. Social Business - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create new business models that combine social impact with financial sustainability, similar to the Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre.
3. Triple Bottom Line - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate the principles of people, planet, and profit into business practices, considering social and environmental impact alongside financial success.
Industry Implications
1. Handcrafted Goods - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new technologies and materials to enhance the quality, efficiency, and sustainability of handcrafted goods production.
2. Art and Design - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize digital platforms and virtual reality to revolutionize the way art and design are created, consumed, and experienced.
3. Fair Trade - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative supply chain solutions and traceability systems to ensure transparency and fairness in fair trade practices.