More Information
Shanga operates as a social enterprise workshop: discarded materials are collected, transformed by skilled artisans into finished goods, and sold directly to visitors and through retail channels. The closed-loop model is elegantly simple: safari camps generate glass waste, Shanga collects it, and travelers who created that waste can watch it become something beautiful and bring it home. Employment at Shanga is specifically designed for Tanzanians with physical and other disabilities, providing not just a wage, but training, professional development, and a workplace that treats every artist as a skilled contributor.
What the Workshop Supports
The 56 artists employed at Shanga receive ongoing employment, education, and training in craft techniques including glass blowing, jewelry making, and the production of homewares. For many, Shanga represents access to formal employment that would otherwise be out of reach because of their disability. The mission is dignity through craft and the quality of their work reflects it.
Recycled Glass, Handmade Excellence
Shanga’s signature product is its hand blown glassware, made entirely from recycled bottles collected from safari camps and lodges across the region. Each piece is made by hand, which means no two are identical. Beyond glassware, Shanga produces jewelry and homewares from a range of reclaimed materials, all designed with a clean aesthetic that travels well and looks at home anywhere in the world.
How Your Deeper Africa Safari Contributes
Every purchase made at the workshop goes directly toward sustaining employment and training for artists with disabilities. The wine bottles that came from your safari camp may well end up on the shelf in front of you, transformed.
