The “WAZO Design Institute” was a pilot project In Rural Kenya. Its aim was to provide local communities training in product development and design thinking- skills for long term economic sustainability and development. In Swahili the word Wazo means Idea, and Kenya is a place filled with ideas and creative thinkers. WAZO Institute was first established in Kayafungo, Kenya. WAZO connects local trade school youth with, industry practitioners, and government ministries, to deliver educational and income opportunities to artisans and youth. WAZO training's allow craft centers to find valuable, intuitive, and marketable skills while articulating and developing solutions for immediate unmet needs.

WAZO is the first of many sustainable design incubators that teaches locals the valued skills of product development, and is managed by its participants. WAZO launched its first venture focusing on footwear; specifically, a protective shoe made using the local production practice of repurposing