To contact The Onsongo Artisans & Carvers Self Help Group for bulk orders, send an email to omwills@yahoo.com
ONSONGO
ARTISANS and CARVERS
SELF HELP GROUP
"ONACAR"
The village is very poor, but Wills has gathered together a group of men and women from the village to form a "self help group", making small items for tourists from local materials. It is an age old tradition in the village that only the men quarry and carve the soapstone, and the women make other items.
This is the only income for these villagers. Wills packs the items into boxes and makes a two hour journey by bus to Kisumu to try to sell them. He returns to the village and his family once a week.
We shall be importing some of these items to sell, and will be offering them here on this web site in the near future. We have ordered a thousand of the various cards, plus a few of the necklaces. It isn't our intention to add on any profits. We'll simply sell them at the price we give for them.
The important thing is that we shall be supporting the village by buying their work.
If your organisation or store would like to buy these items in bulk, contact The Onsongo Artisans & Carvers Self Help Group by sending an email direct to Wills. omwills@yahoo.com
We were particularly impressed by the hand made greeting cards, made from banana leaf, with stylised African animals.
Carved soapstone animals and crosses, used as
necklaces.
Above: banana leaves hanging to dry, ready to be made into cards.
Above: Making cards
Below: Making necklaces
Mining soapstone near the village, and carving a large sculpture.
Above: The Onsongo widows
Above: A partly carved elephant
Various soapstone carvings in the shop.
A larger carved ornament from a single piece of soapstone.
Lovely boxes with lids come in various sizes. The box is carved from a single
piece of soapstone.
Above: A traditional chess set and board
Below: A chess set of African animals
ITEMS FOR SALE
Soapstone Cross Necklace Type 1
Hand carved from natural soapstone mined in the village.
Colour may vary from almost white to buff/beige.
£1.00 plus post & packing
Pack of 5 Animal cards
5 greetings cards (no message inside) with envelopes. £2.50 plus postage
& packing
Made from dried banana leaves mounted on good quality textured card.
Each card is unique. Animal designs may vary from those illustrated.
Soapstone Cross Necklace Type 2
Hand carved from natural soapstone mined in the village.
Colour may vary from almost white to buff/beige.
£1.00 plus post & packing
Pack of 5 Village Scenes
5 greetings cards (no message inside) with envelopes. £2.50 plus postage
& packing
Made from dried banana leaves mounted on good quality textured card.
Each card is unique. Designs may vary from those illustrated.
Soapstone Cross Necklace Type 3
Hand carved from natural soapstone mined in the village.
Colour may vary from almost white to buff/beige.
£1.00 plus post & packing
Pack of 5 Christmas Cards
5 greetings cards (no message inside) with envelopes. £2.50 plus postage
& packing
Made from dried banana leaves mounted on good quality textured card.
Each card is unique. Designs may vary from those illustrated.
Soapstone Cross Necklace Type 4
Rounded "log" profile. Hand carved from natural soapstone mined in the
village.
Colour may vary from almost white to buff/beige.
£1.00 plus post & packing
Pack of 5 Easter Cards
5 greetings cards (no message inside) with envelopes. £2.50 plus postage
& packing
Made from dried banana leaves mounted on good quality textured card.
Each card is unique. Designs may vary from those illustrated.
