Yesterday tragedy struck our Clothed in Hope family. One of the women in our program, Esther, lost 2 children in a road accident. Esther is 28 years old, and a member of the House of Moses partnership Class of March 2016. Esther was traveling back to Lusaka after visiting family over the weekend, and before her and her 2 youngest children (one was only 9 months old) reached home, the bus crashed. Esther survived and will be okay, but her babies didn't. Esther’s family has gone from 5 members to just 3 within one day, and we cannot begin to imagine the pain she is experiencing from this traumatic loss.

We cry with Esther. We grieve with her. We sit in her pain. We have hearts full of love, belonging, and empathy toward Esther. Sadly, she’s not the only woman to have lost a child this year, and that hurts all of us. We hurt having to attend the funerals of each other’s children, but still there is comfort in not doing so alone. Esther will have over 50 women attending the burial of her children, women who have experienced similar loss, who understand the pain, who will cry with her, sit with her, and rise with her.

Esther, a few months back during her training at our Chikondi Community Center

We invite you to join us in lifting up Esther. First, bending down in sorrow and sadness with her. Join us in sending up your thoughts and prayers for Esther and her family. Our Clothed in Hope family will provide support to her in person, but your thoughts and prayers are also powerful to Esther. You can make a difference in her heart right where you are. Let’s all join together and surround her as a CiH family, stretching across oceans, holding each other up, and uniting as a people who are familiar with pain but also full of hope.

Thank you for being our family, whether you’re a HOPE Club member walking closely with us, a customer providing valuable support, a one-time donor helping us continue our work, or a volunteer/supporter/advocate growing our family. In times like this, we cling to one another, and are so thankful for each one of you. We hold onto hope. We stand firm in love.

With Chikondi,
Amy