Charity Mints Money From Old Calendars
Updated on: Nov 17, 2020
How well do you make use of old calendars? Do you just burn them? For Charity Muthoni there is a valuable way of using those unwanted calendars and posters to bring income.
Charity makes durable, beautiful and well-designed beads and necklaces from such papers.
Through her business, Charity Paper Beads and Necklace Centre, she demonstrates on the need to recycle the papers in a manner that is beneficial and profit oriented.
Located in Nanyuki town stage area, the enterprise converts old calendars, magazines and posters, and sticks them with office glue with a combination of a clear furnish using a unique design to form presentable beads and necklaces.
So how did this come to be?
Charity, as she is commonly known, has been a hairdresser for many years. That alone never gave her satisfaction and needed to do a profitable activity at a profit. It is through a close observation of converting papers into beads that Charity decided to pursue that line. She started collecting papers for the job and the posters used in 2017 campaigns. This provided a huge collection of her raw materials.
She got encouragement for the good work from many people, most of who were her customers at the salon.
Charity has never looked back but continues with great determination to make more decorations.
Accessing raw materials for charity has been easy since there are people who bring her old calendars and other useable papers after realising the craftiness with which she can turn ashes to treasurers.
I have never incurred a cost in acquiring the papers for making my beads and necklaces. There are some customers and friends who bring me the needed materials for free. I will forever be grateful for that, Charity says.
Her beautiful beads saw a customer from her Salon direct her to see the head of Laikipia County Innovation and Enterprise Development (LIDP) directorate, Ms Winnie Mwangi.
It is after visiting the director, showing her the work she does, and demonstrating the unique craftiness that her business took a new leaf.
This is an extremely unique and innovative idea. You definitely qualify to be in the innovation programme, says Ms Mwangi.
Since then. Charity has had several trainings courtesy of the innovation programme. She has also enjoyed exhibition and trade firs which she says has helped her business grow.
The exhibition and trade fares have exposed me to other innovators and have learned from them. Whenever I learn I come and improve on my work, Charity says.
LIDP is the directorate in Laikipia County mandated to hand-hold innovators with unique ideas that can be elevated to become income-generating activity as the county directs its movement towards making Laikipia a manufacturing hub. There are around 450 enterprises which are now under this programme.
Governor Muriithi insists on promoting Laikipia made products. The sure way to ensure the same happens is through encouraging production in the county and discouraging importation of products that are produced within the county boarders.
For example, there is no need of importing beads and necklaces yet Charity Paper Beads and Necklace Center, situated in Nanyuki town has more quality and beautiful products.
She has two types of necklaces, long and short which she sells Ksh. 350 each. A set of beads, bungles, and earrings costs Ksh. 500.
The business has also been marketed through social media platform and through different exhibitions that the innovation program has hosted.
The innovator is an all round person who believes in taking advantage of any business opportunity. She is a hairdresser by profession, does beadworks, crochet making, warm baby clothes among many others.
For more information contact charity Muthoni on 0721874969.
Charity makes durable, beautiful and well-designed beads and necklaces from such papers.
Through her business, Charity Paper Beads and Necklace Centre, she demonstrates on the need to recycle the papers in a manner that is beneficial and profit oriented.
Located in Nanyuki town stage area, the enterprise converts old calendars, magazines and posters, and sticks them with office glue with a combination of a clear furnish using a unique design to form presentable beads and necklaces.
So how did this come to be?
Charity, as she is commonly known, has been a hairdresser for many years. That alone never gave her satisfaction and needed to do a profitable activity at a profit. It is through a close observation of converting papers into beads that Charity decided to pursue that line. She started collecting papers for the job and the posters used in 2017 campaigns. This provided a huge collection of her raw materials.
She got encouragement for the good work from many people, most of who were her customers at the salon.
Charity has never looked back but continues with great determination to make more decorations.
Accessing raw materials for charity has been easy since there are people who bring her old calendars and other useable papers after realising the craftiness with which she can turn ashes to treasurers.
I have never incurred a cost in acquiring the papers for making my beads and necklaces. There are some customers and friends who bring me the needed materials for free. I will forever be grateful for that, Charity says.
Her beautiful beads saw a customer from her Salon direct her to see the head of Laikipia County Innovation and Enterprise Development (LIDP) directorate, Ms Winnie Mwangi.
It is after visiting the director, showing her the work she does, and demonstrating the unique craftiness that her business took a new leaf.
This is an extremely unique and innovative idea. You definitely qualify to be in the innovation programme, says Ms Mwangi.
Since then. Charity has had several trainings courtesy of the innovation programme. She has also enjoyed exhibition and trade firs which she says has helped her business grow.
The exhibition and trade fares have exposed me to other innovators and have learned from them. Whenever I learn I come and improve on my work, Charity says.
LIDP is the directorate in Laikipia County mandated to hand-hold innovators with unique ideas that can be elevated to become income-generating activity as the county directs its movement towards making Laikipia a manufacturing hub. There are around 450 enterprises which are now under this programme.
Governor Muriithi insists on promoting Laikipia made products. The sure way to ensure the same happens is through encouraging production in the county and discouraging importation of products that are produced within the county boarders.
For example, there is no need of importing beads and necklaces yet Charity Paper Beads and Necklace Center, situated in Nanyuki town has more quality and beautiful products.
She has two types of necklaces, long and short which she sells Ksh. 350 each. A set of beads, bungles, and earrings costs Ksh. 500.
The business has also been marketed through social media platform and through different exhibitions that the innovation program has hosted.
The innovator is an all round person who believes in taking advantage of any business opportunity. She is a hairdresser by profession, does beadworks, crochet making, warm baby clothes among many others.
For more information contact charity Muthoni on 0721874969.
