How Mama Rachel Ruto's Love of Cross Stitch Led to the Founding of Carakana

Carakana is a social enterprise which facilitates the transfer and preservation of indigenous skills and cross stitching, in production of quality handmade items for sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing of vulnerable groups.

Her Excellency  realized that through training marginalized people in craft, not only could their creative voices shine but they could also use their skill to support themselves and their families.

From time to time , Mama Rachel meets with Carakana beneficiaries to catch up on their cross stitching journey and give them hope.

Her Excellency Rachel Ruto is a thought leader on financial inclusion and women economic empowerment. Through her leadership, she has become a role model for women and a champion on Faith Diplomacy, Food Systems Innovation, Nutrition, Mental Health and Wellness, Inclusivity, Climate Change and Entrepreneurship.

Her Excellency founded the Joyful Women Organization, the first program of Mama, under which Carakana also falls, in 2009. Since then, Mama has grown into a much larger organization which, through different initiatives, tackles the societal problems  marginalized women face.

In 2021, she was appointed by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) as one of the high level Champions on the AU Decade on Women Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion.