First and foremost we thank you for your interest in The African Beauty and our beautiful range of products.
The African Beauty was founded in 2002 by Hellen Kavinya Muthengi Mbathi. Hellen is of the Wakamba tribe and was born in Kitui, Kenya. She lives in The Netherlands since 1989. After several years as a housewife with four children, she decided that it was time to pursue the long time dream of starting her own business.
The African Beauty is a wholesale and retail company, importing unique and exclusive handicraft from Africa, not only from Hellens home country Kenya, but also from South Africa, Ghana, Somalia and other African nations.
Hellen insists that her suppliers pay the makers of the products a fair price. Special attention is given to products that support projects and community supportive manufacturing, such as projects for the mentally and physically disabled, manufacturing by (groups of) women who support themselves and their families this way, etc..
Also on their behalf, The African Beauty thanks you for your support by buying our products.
The Kamba, the fourth largest tribe of Kenya, is one of the tribes of the Bantu people. They live in the semi-arid hills of Ukambani, between Nairobi and Mount Kenya and east towards the coast. They came originally from the region of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is in the south of Kenya. Kamba are known for their wood carving skills. Although the land is poor, they manage to make a living on agriculture.
Because the land doesn't always provide enough to live on, especially in times of drought, the Kamba are a long time involved in trading, thanks also to the geografical area where they live, near to the coast. This also means they have since long been in contact with Europeans. Their knowledge of much of the Kenyan interior was a great help to the early western explorers and missionaries.
