A big carpet with a big story

 

Buying a Nakambe carpet means bringing a distinctive design piece into your home while supporting a project with real social impact.

Each carpet is 100% handcrafted by women inmates at the special women's prison in Maputo, Mozambique. Through this work, they earn an income that helps restore dignity and create opportunities for a new beginning.

 

Nakambe carpets are made for those who appreciate authentic craftsmanship, value meaningful initiatives, and want to create warm, welcoming spaces with purpose.

 

Specialized Technical Training: Every artisan undergoes rigorous training in advanced crochet and textile techniques. Under high quality supervision, they master precision, attention to details and a specialized trade.

Fair Compensation & Independence: Every artisan in our workshop is fairly and ethically compensated for her work, a crucial step toward building lasting autonomy. For many of these women, who are also mothers, it allows them to cover their own needs, save for their eventual freedom, and actively support their families on the outside. Contributing to their children's education and daily upbringing from within the facility gives them back their agency, reinforces their pride, and keeps them meaningfully connected to the future they are building.

Purpose & Well-being: The slow, meditative nature of crochet work offers a therapeutic creative outlet within a challenging environment. Creating something with one's own hands restores self-esteem, reduces anxiety, and helps to brings a sense of daily accomplishment.

 

What's the meaning of Nakambe?

Nakambe means ‘again’ in Xangana, a language native to southern Mozambique.

Because in crochet you repeat the same stitch thousands of times, and because in life we all need to start over.

Nakambe collaborates with seven women in a Maputo correctional facility, supported by our technical supervisor Aurora and myself, who oversee production and foster a positive, encouraging environment for the artisans.

Our facility-based workshop offers more than just skill-building; it provides a structured environment for teamwork and community. By working together on production, the artisans establish a network of mutual support and professional respect. This space allows them to overcome the challenge of isolation through constructive daily collaboration and shared achievements.

Beyond the carpets

My name is Patrizia, I'm the founder of Nakambe.

I was born into a family of textile artisans in a small town in northern Italy. 
As a child, I grew up surrounded by spools, colourful threads and knots. My early work in our little family business consisted of arranging colors, unspooling and knotting threads.

When my father’s business closed due to the decline of the small scale textile industry, I finished my studies in international cooperation and began working in the humanitarian sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. There I discovered the bewildering array of wax prints, pagnes and capulane: that represent places, people, and lives.

Whilst working in the Central African Republic, I asked a lady to teach me how to make carpets with African wax, inspired by those in her shop. I started by making a few for myself, then for my sisters, and soon for friends. Slowly, the pieces became more balanced, more beautiful, less uneven.

While living in Mozambique, a question took shape: what if this became my work?

I presented my project to the National Prison Service of Mozambique, where women inmates in Maputo, the country's capital, began weaving carpets and that is how Nakambe was born.

The Ethical Approach to Privacy

True empowerment requires respect and protection. To honor the privacy and rehabilitation journeys of our artisans, you won’t see their faces on our website or social media pages. Instead, we let their incredible skill speak for itself. We choose to focus our lenses on the movement of their hands, the details of each crochet stitch and the meticulous geometry of the carpets. 

Contact us