Get to Know the Curious Tour: Inspired by the women of South Africa
If you have visited our site before, or if you’re new to us, we want to say, welcome! Sit back, relax and let us tell you a little more about The Curious Tour, what we do, and why we do it.
The Curious Tour Collections: Gifts that Support Women’s Causes
The Curious Tour got its name when the creators decided to travel through different cities, cultures and communities to find interesting products that did not get the recognition they richly deserved. While exploring South Africa, the creators of The Curious Tour were blown away by the craftswomen who could create the most extraordinary things out of everyday materials, many of which were discarded items. After finding a multitude of incredibly talented and undervalued artisans, The Curious Tour decided to sell various handcrafter’s work globally in order to offer them an additional means of support.
Why South Africa?
The creators of The Curious Tour had travelled many times to South Africa; Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban where they became good friends with many talented artisans and began sourcing their products. They fell in love with extraordinarily beautiful Cape Town and its endless horizon. The Curious Tour wanted to sell artwork as magical as the places they came from.
The Mdukatshani Craft Project
The Curious Tour’s primary focus is on being a charitable business. When we learned about the Mdukatshani Project through our friend Marisa Fick-Jordaan, creator of Zenzulu products, we knew we wanted to work with Mdukatshani and support their cause. The Project created opportunities for people with innate talents to take traditional crafts and apply these skills to contemporary designs. Thus began the road to economic self-sufficiency. This was particularly helpful to the people of these communities who had been shut out of regular commerce and other means of livelihood.
The Mdukatshani Rural Development Project has 3 distinct components; goat and cattle farming, education, and craft development. The Curious Tour has for the past 2-3 years donated 50% of its gross proceeds to these endeavors proudly knowing that these funds are mainly used by women and their families for medical care, farming and education.
Still Curious? Here’s More…
The Curious Tour also supports other women’s causes in other countries. In Peru a business called ‘Little Journeys’ works with groups to create colorful and whimsical apparel such as scarves and hats. In a village in Guatemala, Mayan Hands sells the handcrafted felt animals made by local women to support themselves and their families.
Why Visit The Curious Tour?
When you visit The Curious Tour, we want you to come away with a broader sense of the hidden beauty we found in Africa. We want you to see what people can do! We hope you will appreciate, as we do, the clever and ingenious use of materials as individuals create something amazing out of very little. Working with few resources, the creativity and imagination of local individuals are showcased in what they make. You will be supporting these talented women with every gift you purchase from our site!
Browse our website to find gifts that you love and that support women’s causes!
If you would like to take a look at the exquisite gifts made by the artisans mentioned, visit our online shop to find extraordinary products that support extraordinary women.
To learn more about the Mdukatshani Craft Project and shop for sustainable, handcrafted gifts that you can feel good about, contact The Curious Tour online today or call (212) 691-9153.