Raina's husband, George, started making seedpod birds as a means to earn extra income for their family in 1994. A few years later Raina joined him and together they sold their birds at local craft shops and markets. As her husband moved on to other endeavors Raina took over the enterprise on her own and now works with two of her daughters, a son and extended family members.
The seedpods come from the Ulumbu Tree (Sterculia rogersii) and are not found in quantity in the area where they live. They have to travel seven hours to the Bulawayo area to pick them and then travel back home. This trip typically takes three days. They use the seedpod as the body of the bird, shaped wire for the legs, and putty for the beaks. Then they hand paint the birds with bright colors one at a time. Raina and George have seven children and live in Ruwa, Zimbabwe.
