Sheni and Teni are an online website catering to children’s toys and books and was founded in 2018 by Fola Williams. Working as a business analyst for over 12 years and becoming a working mother, Fola wanted to create a brand that brought her closer to her Nigerian culture. She believed there was a connection missing in terms of children’s books and toys and wanted to make a change.
A working mother of two, she noticed that there were no toys or books in the nursery and mainstream shops that looked like her sons.
She continued to see that there were not many books or games that highlighted her culture or anything that looked like her son’s brown complexion and reflected who he was and what he looked like. With this in mind, she created Sheni and Teni, a place where you can buy toys and books so kids from underrepresented backgrounds could relate to them.
Fola wanted to create a brand that allowed her to stay connected to her culture and allowed other people to have a sense of where she was from. Working in London with Nigerian heritage, she felt that she wanted a deeper sense of belonging and a shared understanding of where she is from. She created this platform not only for her kids but for others to have a greater understanding of her cultural background.
The brand speaks to two groups of people: the underrepresented, who never see themselves during playtime, and the non-Africans, who may want to understand different cultures, foods, and attire within the comfort of their home.
The website features puzzles, books, toys, and stationery that will bring joy to any child’s face. Encouraging learning as well as celebrating culture and heritage. Featured on the website are puzzles that portray scenes and culture from Africa and come with local languages and images that look like them. It also features books with characters that resemble them with positive stories and messages.
The brand’s core values are encouragement, empathy and becoming considerate, which will enable parents to raise well-rounded, confident, and empathetic kids.
Fola Williams comments: I created this brand in 2018 and wanted to build a business that made my sons feel represented in books and toys. I have received an abundance of emails from parents thanking me for creating this platform and informing me how much my brand has helped them with learning about different cultures with their children. It has also helped make children happy and confident while playing games that reflect them. I really hope to make a difference and believe representation is important within child play.
Products are available from Sheni and Teni website www.sheniandteni.com and are priced from £7.00.
Card Games £15.00
46 beautifully illustrated cards celebrating African culture with pyramids, wildlife, and giraffes. A great set of card games to enjoy culture and history.
Self-Awareness WorkBook – £7.99
Affirmations, doodling, and empowering is a great way for a child to feel good about themselves. This notebook will help your child communicate and keep track of their feelings and their plans for the forthcoming week.
Featured Photo by Joe Darams on Unsplash
