Somewhere in the middle of the COVID-19 turbulence Nicole and I had a notion that we wanted to make a change.
We have always loved the idea of a simpler life. A life that recognises and is grateful for the abundance that we are blessed with. A life that is more connected to the earth. A life that gives back to our community. A life that gives back to nature. 

At some point in 2020, we put out the word that we were looking for some land to build our home on. We were guided to a very rural area next to a lake in Eastern Mpumalanga, near Barberton. We fell in love! We have negotiated some land and been granted permission to build.

BUT. The Vision has grown! We are blown away by this place and we cannot keep it to ourselves! We are building a lodge and retreat alongside our home and more than that, we are moving our entire bag making workshop here.

The bags have been the first step on our life's path and they remain integral to building our future. The next step is to take the bag making to the next level and to add the community element. 

We have just secured government funding for machinery and so we will build a workshop here on the mountain. Funding has come in for 12 machines so that we can set up our workshop and train the local people to make the bags. We are aiming to employ and upskill the local community who are currently underserved and largely without prospects. 

In order to get this up and running, we need some time to build the workshop and get the machines in place so we are stopping production until January 2022 to allow for this.

We are also offering a retreat for those of you who want to see what we are doing and participate/collaborate/ contribute your time to the vision of The Nyalungu Afrikan Retreat.

We are building a home using Natural Building techniques and we would like to invite you to join us in our Journey of Endless Creation.

To find out more about the Retreat Village click here: