From our Founder

Maisha - ‘Life’ in Swahili.

Throughout the years I could always recognize how vulnerable young adults received the least attention from social organizations and contributors. When it comes to clothes, they are either excluded or they would receive worn-out clothes that are not suitable to wear. Hence for a long time, I wanted to create a project where we could teach young adults how to make their clothes from waste textiles and repurpose the worn-out clothes they receive into fashionable pieces.

The Maisha by nisria project was inspired by my grandmothers. Growing up I could always see how they transformed curtains into dresses, towels into rugs, pillowcases into sacks, and so on. Late 2021 I was approached by my late friend Randah Taher and she asked me if there was a project that I would want to implement that she could fund and support. She wanted to honor her late mother’s memory through a social project and suggested a couple of ideas, the up-cycled fashion project was one of them and she picked it without hesitation.

We started the project with one sewing machine and we flew our first designer, Shak the Label from Egypt to Kenya where he kickstarted the project and we started a journey of exploring and experimenting. We named it Maisha to honor Randah's mom, Hayat, which means "life" in Arabic. This name also symbolizes our mission to help young adults transform their lives by learning a new skill that can be their way of making a living. Additionally, we're giving a fresh start to clothes and fabrics, shaping them into something new and meaningful. Today, Maisha by nisria is a full-on workshop in Nakuru, Kenya that is functioning as a learning space and a boutique that produces one-of-one pieces that are sold on our website and in stores in Nairobi.

Under the creative leadership of Tausi Conde and the guidance of teaching master Karungaru Miriam, the project has flourished. The current team, which has grown significantly, works tirelessly towards its goals; More than 15 beneficiaries have already been part of the project, with some transitioning into full-time designers and tailors for the workshop, a testament to the transformative power of Maisha by Nisria.