The Chair Factory

The Chair Factory

Down the road from the Kafakumba campus a little road—a driveway really—leaves the highway and twists back to an old homestead. This property is owned by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assissi and is primarily dedicated to a partnership in chairmaking. The Sisters provide the place; Kafakumba provides the manpower, equipment, and supplies. They will split the profit in such a way that the ministries of the Sisters and Kafakumba can be supported.

The Chair Factory uses wood pieces from the scraps of Ukapanga Timber. They are painstakingly cut, finished, and assembled into very attractive folding patio chairs. The factory employs 15 previously unemployed men of the community. They are now expanding into production of decorative patio tables to complement the chair design.

Finally, this location is also home to the current production of beehives, as well as a small business in creating wood writing pens and other decorative objects. The beehives are being constructed of scrap wood no longer usable by a local sawmill. The pens use up the final and smallest of the valuable wood scraps. Nothing is wasted, nothing discarded.