A Mission with Heart
Every thread in Tuwe Bora’s story carries a heartbeat a rhythm of resilience, hope, and transformation.
What began as a moment of quiet reflection in 2018 has grown into a movement one that stitches together purpose, empowerment, and community. Founded by Linda Sigilai and Charity Chelimo, Tuwe Bora is more than a fashion brand. It is a living testimony that beautiful things can be born from seasons of uncertainty that sustainability can also mean restoring human dignity and giving new beginnings to those who once felt forgotten.
The Spark: When Life Shifted
For Linda, everything changed the year she became a mother. Holding her newborn baby in her arms, she was overcome by a question that would not let her rest:
“What if I lost my job today? What skill do I have that could sustain me and my child?”
That moment raw and deeply personal sparked something within her. It was as if motherhood opened not just her heart but also her vision. As her sister Charity recalls:
“I saw a different Linda like something shifted. She was not the same person I had known for my 20 years. She had this fire in her eyes, this sense of purpose. She shared the vision, and together, we worked to build something that would help young moms create livelihoods for their children, even if they had to stay home starting with crocheting classes.”
What began as a question became a calling to ensure no mother ever feels helpless in the face of uncertainty.
Expanding Horizons: The First Skill Empowerment in Nakuru
Out of that calling grew a small yet powerful community of young mothers. What started as a circle of a few nursing moms soon became a sisterhood of over 200 women women who laughed, cried, and learned together. They gathered to share knowledge about childcare, nutrition, and the quiet battles of motherhood that often go unseen.
But as the circle grew, Linda and Charity saw a deeper need these women didn’t just need support; they needed skills. They needed tools that could turn their hands into instruments of hope.
And so, in 2018, Tuwe Bora held its very first skill empowerment workshop in Nakuru. Crocheting became the thread that connected women’s stories turning yarn into art, art into income, and income into independence. It wasn’t just about creating products; it was about restoring pride and possibility.
A Transformative Encounter: The Murang’a Women’s Prison Visit
Then, in 2019, life tugged at the sisters’ hearts once more. The Tuwe Bora team decided to visit Murang’a Women’s Prison simply to encourage and share love with incarcerated women. But what they encountered there would transform their mission forever.
Behind the iron bars, they met mothers some imprisoned with their babies, others separated from the children they ached to see again. The pain was palpable, but even deeper was the fear in their voices as they asked:
“What will we do when we leave here? How will we survive? How do we start again?”
That moment broke something open in Linda and Charity’s hearts. It was no longer just about empowering mothers it was about giving second chances. They realized that rehabilitation wasn’t complete without restoration without equipping these women with skills to build new lives and stay out of the cycles that had trapped them.
From that visit, Tuwe Bora’s mission expanded. The threads of compassion now reached into prisons, weaving dignity and hope into places often forgotten by society.
A Growing Vision of Impact
From a mother’s moment of fear and faith to a nationwide ripple of empowerment, Tuwe Bora continues to weave a legacy of impact. What started as a personal quest for survival has become a beacon for hundreds of women mothers, survivors, dreamers each learning to rebuild their lives, one stitch at a time.
Every crochet hook, every workshop, every smile shared in a women’s prison tells the same story: that when women are empowered, whole communities heal.
Tuwe Bora’s journey is far from over. With every thread, they continue to craft not just garments, but stories of strength, sustainability, and rebirth reminding us all that beauty is born where hope is stitched into purpose.