At Obakki, we believe in putting people first. Our artisans are part of our extensive global family—and the ability to sustain themselves and their communities—will always be our top priority as a company. 

The Obakki Foundation exists to ensure that our artisans have access to basic needs and the opportunity to grow, thrive and provide for their own communities. Over half of our artisans receive support from the foundation––with over 30 years of proven results, and over 4 million people impacted, it truly is the beating heart of Obakki.

Access to clean water is the foundation of any stable economy or livelihood. You can’t focus on your craft—or anything else—when your basic needs aren’t being met. That’s why we’ve made clean water a priority.

To date, we’ve drilled or rehabilitated over 4,000 water wells around the world, providing millions of people with access to safe, reliable water. Whether supporting artisans or broader communities, we believe clean water is the first step toward long-term sustainability, health, and economic growth.

In Nairobi’s Kibera community, many children are unable to attend school simply due to lack of financial resources. When we began working with artisans in this region, it quickly became clear that our support had to extend beyond economic opportunity. In 2025, we partnered with local families to enroll 80 children in school full-time—covering tuition, uniforms, and daily meals. And this year, we’ve expanded the initiative to include their parents, launching vocational training programs to ensure that opportunity begins at home.

For years, the weavers in Tlamacazapa have been drinking dirty water from a hole in the ground - plagued by diseases, the community has not been able to focus on their craft. We saw an opportunity to help, and to date we've implemented 100 rain catchment systems in households so they could focus on building their economy through their livelihood.

Moisés, a rural artisan in Mexico, is one of the few in the world practicing ethical silk harvesting—waiting for the butterfly to emerge from the cocoon before collecting the silk, a method known as peace silk. Committed to protecting the silkworm’s life cycle, he wanted to learn more about each stage of metamorphosis to help increase survival rates.

To support his journey, we sponsored Moisés to attend a specialized school in Colombia, where he studied the science behind sustainable sericulture. He returned to share his knowledge with his community—proving that innovation and education are powerful tools for preserving tradition the right way.

This year, we partnered with co-ops in Uganda and South Sudan to train local communities on the benefits of harvesting natural ingredients like shea butter and balanite. These raw ingredients, which are key to our Obakki Skincare collection—help combat deforestation and empower women by creating sustainable jobs. All of our skincare products are crafted in Canada from these ethically sourced ingredients.

Our foundation worked alongside the artisans of Akiliba to ensure they had a reliable place to sell their work—supporting them in establishing a local market so they could build sustainable livelihoods and send their children to school. Future security is essential, so we focused on creating income opportunities that didn’t rely solely on us.

With over 600 pots sold locally and internationally—and a feature in The New York Times—this artisan community is now standing strong, providing for themselves through their ancient craft.