About Us
Bulungu means beads
About Us
BULUNGU is a part of a Non-Profit Organisation called Food and Nutrition Foundation and Charity Sikazwe Foundation. We work both in South Africa and in Zambia.
What Bulungu means
Bulungu means beads. Back in the old days and in Villages. Women used to sit under a tree in the afternoon with their children making beads. The beads have different meanings depending on their colour.
History
These meetings were used as a time to catch up with fellow women about what was happening in the community, and at the same time, it was a time reserved for being creative and making different arts and crafts. It was also a time to teach young girls 10 to 18 years traditional norms, culture and womanhood.
What Motivated us
Women have always been amongst the poorest people in the world apart from children, which makes us sad to write. Working with women in the poor and disadvantaged communities and seeing their daily struggles to feed, look after the children, have shelter and keep healthy, we decided to start teaching women practical skills to empower them.
We teach beading, sewing and cooking. We want to tell this story through our work. When COVID hit, it became impossible for our women to go out and sell their products, and we decided to assist by establishing BULUNGU. Bulungu helps sell products made by different women. Each Item enables a woman to put food on the table to feed her children and send them to school.
Who we are
Our products
We work with underprivileged women in the community to make jewellery and other arts and crafts. Bulungu allows them to develop their artisanal skills further and earn their own money, and at the same time, these women represent Bulungu.
We source 60% of our materials from Nature, and we use those to create different products. We believe in respecting Nature, and BULUNGU jewellery and accessories are lovely products made with dedication and passion from natural materials, sourced and hand-picked in a natural environment in South Africa and Africa. The products reflect Nature, sustainable production, quality and beautiful African yet contemporary design. You can wear BULUNGU products every day or on special occasions. Either way, they make you look and feel good because every product makes you wear a beautiful piece of Nature.