Dorcas Iris
Seed bead baskets, handbags, jewellery
One of the original five. Today she manages operations in Kipsongo and trains the women who come after her.
“I never knew I would be a leader and that people would respect me. My life has changed for good.”
At 35, Dorcas is a resilient single mother of five. Her early life was marked by hardship, growing up on the streets of Kitale before moving to the Kipsongo slum. Desperate to provide for her family, she sold illegal alcohol, a path that often landed her in jail and left her children to fend for themselves. Even in those circumstances she felt the weight of what she was doing, knowing she was contributing to the breaking of other families.
Her life began to change when she was offered another path. She joined Baskets and Beads Kenya as one of the first five women in the group, driven by a deep desire to build a better life for her children. She stopped selling alcohol and became a skilled artisan, creating seed bead baskets, handbags, and necklaces. She is also a key member of the sewing group, which produces everything from aprons and dresses to dog bandanas and table sets.
Dorcas's transformation extends beyond her craft. She has risen to become the Kenya team manager for Baskets and Beads and is a respected leader in her community. That is a significant achievement: it challenges local tribal traditions in which women rarely hold such positions or have a voice in community decisions. Her strength, confidence, and daily determination to improve her own life and the lives of those around her are an inspiration to everyone in the circle.
In Dorcas’s words
“To have a home of my own away from the Kipsongo slum, and to raise my kids away from the slum.”
Stand behind Dorcas
Gifts go into the group’s shared table banking pool and the programs that support every woman in the circle: materials, literacy, medical help, and school fees for their children.
