At Khutsala Artisans, our team really likes to show and spread love. We do it willingly, joyfully, and eagerly because it's one of the best gifts we can offer others. Whether it's someone we know or a stranger on the street, at Khutsala Artisans, we love intentionally. And this statement is even more true in Eswatini, Africa.
A small landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa, Eswatini is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. The Swazis who live there are experiencing extreme poverty, poor education, hunger, and an HIV/AIDS crisis. Additionally, the country has over 200,000 orphans and vulnerable children, even though its population is a little more than 1 million.
With so many trials to overcome, it's easy for Swazis to feel discouraged and defeated, but that's where our team at Khutsala Artisans steps in. As a Heart for Africa initiative, our primary goal at Khutsala Artisans is to provide hope and love to orphans and vulnerable children and the people of Eswatini.
We do this by employing Swazis, who make Eswatini-inspired jewelry. With every piece we sell, the profits go straight towards the children's homes that Heart for Africa has created. These homes offer a safe space for kids who were once orphans or vulnerable children. When Heart for Africa becomes their legal guardians, they receive love, food, resources, a good education, and family members who care about their wellbeing.
At Khutsala Artisans, it's a joy to give all of our profits to these kids' success. Our contribution goes directly towards the resources that Heart for Africa needs to provide for their children, and that gives us purpose. By selling Eswatini-inspired jewelry, we get to show love to the Swazis who need it most. And during February— the month of love—our desire to spread love to the people in Eswatini grows even stronger.
The love-centered theme of February
February is all about love, and that's for a specific reason. Valentine's Day is in February, and it centers solely around love. But surprisingly, the holiday didn't start that way. In fact, it's evolved a lot throughout the centuries to become what it is today.
Before everyone associated Valentine's Day with romance, the holiday was shrouded in mystery. No one could pinpoint exactly where it originated, and the same is true today. Still, the common argument is that the holiday's history starts with a Roman feast that happened every year between February 13th and February 15th.
During this feast, men would show their affection for women in painful, unorthodox ways, and a matchmaking lottery would also take place. It wasn't until the third century, however, that the term Valentine's Day came around.
On February 14th, of different years in the third century, the Roman Emperor executed two men named Valentine. These men were Christian martyrs, and they were honored by the Catholic Church with a celebration called St. Valentine's Day.
In the fifth century, this celebration started happening around the same time as the Roman's feast. Additionally, the Normans also celebrated a holiday during this time called Galantin's Day, and their celebration focused solely on love. Some people believe that the Norman's holiday was actually confused with Valentine's Day because the two sounded so similar.
Because of this potential confusion, Valentine's Day became the new holiday of love. Shakespeare and Chaucer romanticized it in their work, making the holiday sweeter and more popular. And people started giving handmade paper cards to their loved ones in the Middle Ages. Hallmark even began to mass-produce Valentine's Day cards in 1913.
As a result of this commercialization, the holiday has become incredibly popular, so much so that people don't just give each other cards anymore. Instead, they show and spread love by giving other beautiful gifts as well.
Spread love with Eswatini-Inspired Jewelry
During Valentine's Day, people like to give their loved ones flowers, chocolates, and trips to romantic destinations. However, one of the most popular gifts to give a valentine is jewelry.
At Khutsala Artisans, we have beautiful Eswatini-inspired jewelry that's perfect for anyone who wants to put a smile on their valentine's face. Even sweeter is that 100% of the profits from every purchase helps put a smile on the faces of children in Eswatini.
Buying handmade jewelry from Khutsala Artisans spreads love to many people, including a beloved valentine and vulnerable kids in Eswatini who need support. So, if anyone wants to use Valentine's Day to spread love to many instead of a few, here's a list of Eswatini-inspired jewelry that is sure to do the trick.
With beautiful bronze or silver wire, these earrings feature Khutsala Artisans' signature SwaziMUD beads. The beads on the earrings come in different colors like bronze luster, sea moss, robins egg, lucky seed, and peony red. These earrings are a perfect gift for any valentine who loves a classic and sleek design.
Shop the SwaziMUD Triangle Earrings HERE.
This exclusive Eswatini-inspired bracelet is a beautiful design for anyone who likes a layered look. It features a heart-shaped charm in the middle to serve as a gentle reminder to spread love. And the bracelet is made with leather cord that works for casual and dressy attire. It's truly great for every occasion, making it a fun gift for any valentine.
Buy the Dana Heart Bracelet HERE.
This necklace features a stunning long, blue rosary chain that's perfect for a valentine who loves to layer jewelry or wear longer pieces. Handmade by artisans in Eswatini, this necklace includes a beautiful soldered heart-shaped crystal to represent love. The heart also comes in two colors, such as blue soldered and smokey soldered, to perfectly match the rosary chain.
Purchase the Heart Rosary Necklace HERE.
Part of our SwaziMUD collection, this particular piece features adorable silver hearts. The hearts all come in different colors, some of which correlate perfectly with Valentine's Day. The heart-shaped charms come in white, red, or pink. But for a valentine who appreciates classic colors, choose teapot brown or clear crystal.
Shop the SwaziMUD Heart Earrings HERE.
This Eswatini-inspired bracelet is simple and elegant. It features light green beads that jewelry makers at Khutsala Artisans create using mud from Eswatini. And it includes a heart-shaped charm to remind those who are wearing it to spread love. This bracelet is great with any outfit and perfect for those who love the color green.
Get the SwaziMUD Green Charm Bracelet HERE.
Spread love with this beautiful handmade bracelet. With deep red colored beads, this bracelet is the epitome of Valentine's Day. It features an elegant design and also includes a silver heart-shaped charm with a red bead above it. This bracelet is perfect for anyone who gushes about Valentine's Day and loves the color red.
Shop the SwaziMUD Heart Bracelet HERE.
Celebrate Valentine's Day with Eswatini-inspired jewelry
We hope these pieces of jewelry share the love that Valentine's Day is all about, but the list of products above doesn't display all that we offer at Khutsala Artisans. We sell many pieces of Eswatini-inspired jewelry, including earrings and necklaces. So, don't hesitate to shop for other pieces that may be great gifts for a valentine.
Click here to shop with purpose and spread love on Valentine's Day.
In February, most people only celebrate Valentine's Day, and it makes sense. It's the most popular and well-known holiday of the month. But there's another special day that also exists: Random Acts of Kindness Day.
