Lerai Youthful Artisans Association Empowering African Artisans for the Global Handmade Economy.

The Lerai Youthful Artisans Association (LYAA) is empowering Africa’s young artisans to thrive in the global handmade economy. Through training, shared resources, and a tech-driven digital marketplace (in development), we connect talented creators to international buyers and markets. Our model combines capacity building, digital enablement, and market access to transform artisans into export-ready entrepreneurs.

LYAA already demonstrates traction: Kisero Leather has showcased at Africa Fashion Week and partnered with Italian buyers; Tosheka Textiles leads in eco-luxury fabrics; and the Naboisho Women’s Project in Narok benefits from LYAA-supported machinery and training. These successes prove that with the right tools, African artisans can scale globally.

With $30K in seed funding, LYAA will expand artisan training, strengthen shared infrastructure, and pilot our digital marketplace, aiming to onboard 50+ brands, train 200+ artisans, and facilitate $100K+ in sales within 18 mont