Pro-poor African Curio Trade (PROACT) is a carefully formulated non-profit program that is aimed at addressing the problems facing the rural marginalized communities especially women, namely; poverty, youth unemployment and gender inequality through the selling of curios.

More than 50% of Kenyans especially women live below the poverty line (CBS), curio making is one of the best means of helping the poor societies in Kenya since it is practiced by the marginalized communities, requires little capital to kick off and the fact that the business is labour intensive and requires semi-skilled labour. Essentially, the project works with women since majority are the sole breadwinners in most rural homesteads. Most women in Kenya lack land, adequate employment in agriculture and or formal employment.

Currently, the project boosts of over 50 women members who are benefiting from this small manufacturing outfit.PROACT uses an alternative dimension to international curio trade by promoting sustainable development for the marginalized African Curios producers in Kenya. PROACT's primary goal is thus to help the marginalized and disadvantaged Kenyan women curio by advancing micro-loans, promoting producers' independence and gender equality, providing decent working conditions, increasing their production capacity and helping them to sell their curios at fair prices in the Fair Trade.

PROACT Program is guided by the slogan "Give the marginalized women a fish and you feed them for today, teach them to fish and you feed them for ever". We believe that sustainable curio trade is better than aid since it equips the women with a sustainable means of earning their livelihood as opposed to waiting for funds which might not be forthcoming or may not be consistent.

Currently, the project is coordinating the production and the marketing of products from two workshops in Kenya: Olmakaun in Kitengela and Nyaciondo in Gitugi Division. Each workshop is self-managed; salaries and working conditions are well above other production centres from the same sector. In excess of this members are trained on how to produce high quality products, how to save and reinvest their earnings, how to form social groups and how to improve their welfare. At the moment Olmakaun Workshop has 32 women members while Nyaciondo workshop has 25 women members in total. Olmakaun project produces Maasai beads products, namely; necklaces, neck collars, bracelets, mats and watch bands. On the other hand Nyaciondo weaves hand made African bags from wool, sisal and banana fibres.

Product Range
PROACT has two workshops that facilitate the production of two district product range; maasai bead work and African bags. The project is in the process of diversifying the products as dictated by demand forces. For essay navigation of our our product range we have carefully subdivided them into the categories below;