Of every £1 we raise, 96 pence is used in Malawi

Welcome to the Capacity Foundation shop.

Here you will find goods sourced from East Africa, including lengths of the cloth known as chitenji and purses made by a team of seamstresses in Malenga Mzoma, Malawi.

Chitenji is a fabric commonly found in Malawi and other parts of East Africa, where it is made into blouses, shirts, dresses and bandanas, as well as being sewn into table cloths, handkerchiefs, place mats, bags, purses etc and used as throws. The word chitenji is also used to describe dresses made from the material.

Most of our pieces measure approximately 1.8 x 1.15 metres and have a lightly waxed finish.

Our zipped purses are made from chitenji. Most have a strap and are typically about 16 x 12 centimetres in size.

Washing advice

In Malawi, chitenjis are traditionally washed in cold water and air dried.

Here in the UK, one of our customers tells us she washes a chitenji at 30 using a detergent pod before letting it dry naturally on an airer. She also confirms that the chitenji is colour-fast and loses its waxy finish - and advises ironing before it is fully dry.

* Washing advice *

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The items we sell are bought personally by us from small businesses in Malawi.

Because of the impact of Covid-19 on travel, we are currently unable to visit the country to obtain new stock.

However, once conditions allow, we will be adding both new stock and new lines to the shop, including a range of carved wooden items.

Delivery & Returns

DELIVERY

Our delivery charges are:

£1.50 for purse/s only

£2.00 for chitenji/s only or for orders of both purse/s and chitenji/s.

Orders are usually posted once a week, on Friday, by second class mail.

We are currently delivering only within the UK.

RETURNS

Goods can be returned as ‘unsuitable’ within 30 days of delivery, as follows:

1. Items must be returned to us in the original packaging and condition. Please provide your name and address, reason for return and preferred course of action (e.g. replacement, credit note, refund).

2. Postage costs will be refunded only if the return is necessitated by an error on our part.

3. If you request a refund, payment will be made within 30 days.

4. Refunds for goods lost in transit will only be made on receipt of proof of postage.

This is a summary; for full details of our returns policy, see our Terms & Conditions.

Delivery & Returns

Shop Terms & Conditions

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