About Us
Umba creations is a Kenya-based company founded by Wangari Kamua, a mother, artist, and entrepreneur dedicated to creating beautiful items that help families instill positive values in their children.
Each product is lovingly made to reflect the beauty of diversity, teach traditional African values and encourage children to love and respect themselves and their communities.
Whether its an adorable and totally original crotchet doll, our Rafiki Values Tribe playing cards, or any of our other unique products, Umba creations has something amazing for everyone locally made right here in Kenya, Africa.
Company Mission
At Umba Creations, our mission is to bring the very best character values to life for children in their most formative years— kindness, respect, self-control, patience, hard work, and of course, love.
Our entire product line is geared towards helping parents focus on what’s important, passing these lessons on in a fun and playful way. We believe that children should have the opportunity to see themselves positively represented
in the toys they play with. We hope that our toys and content serve as windows for kids to become more inclusive and accepting of others. Our line currently includes handmade crochet dolls (no two are alike, just like our precious children!), cotton twill drawstring bags, jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, and coloring books with plans to add even more great items.
Giving Back
To continually give back to the community, Umba Creations supports Hope for Cancer Kids in raising funds to ensure children from disadvantaged backgrounds who have cancer can access the care they need at Kenyatta National Hospital. This initiative also includes our Umba Creations internship program for teens aged 13-17 where we teach them how to crochet
comfort dolls and guide them through fundraising to support a child access lifesaving treatment.
Wangari's Story
Wangari started her creative journey at the Evelyn School of Design in Nairobi before moving to the United Kingdom to further her studies in Interdisciplinary and Product Design. She spent more than 15 years working in the Marketing and Creative Departments of various multinational companies culminating in her final corporate role in marketing with Oracle Corporation. In 2012, a family relocation to South Africa would precipitate Wangari’s exit from the corporate world, sparking self-reflection on where she would next take her career.
It would be her young son’s response to a beloved teddy bear lovingly voiced by Wangari that sparked a life-changing idea. Ready to create something with her hands, she turned to her
crochet skills and began making what would become beloved buddies for other children who with the help of their parents could sing, talk, teach and comfort. And that’s how the Rafiki
Values Tribe toys began.
Wangari is passionate about empowering others and sharing the skills that she has gathered over the years. She looks forward to continuing this incredible journey—delivering unique, Kenyan-made products locally and to the global community.
Meet Our Team
WANGARI
Owner & Creative Designer
BEATRICE
Production Lead
COMMUNITY
WOMEN