Aderina, a married mother of three, is one of KICK’s most gifted wire artisans. Women tend to shy away from wirework making her one of the only five artisans in a field dominated by men. She excels in producing jewellery, like the best-selling dancing girl earrings, hand- made cards, and ornaments that are sold in Fair Trade markets in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA. Born into a family of 11 children, she only had a year of schooling after her Tanzania father lost his job. The company he worked for was sold and the new owner decided to cut back on staff. Life changed and she had to work on menial jobs from the tender age of eight years in Nairobi, earning three dollars a month.
Aderina, however, found her passion when she started producing jewellery and ornaments in 2016, following a chance encounter with one of KICK’s artisans in Manyatta, Kisumu, where she had moved with her husband. She learned her skills through apprenticeship over a two-year period. ‘I was unemployed. It helped me because I had no job’. The money she earns supports the education of her two daughters and son and contributes to food and household expenses. Working from home gives her the flexibility to earn a living from crafts, while being a wife and a mother. ‘If people ask me what I do, I tell them that I am an artisan- it’s my job’.