Breaking the cycle of poverty, one stitch at a time
Our mission is to empower women in Zambia through education and economic opportunity.
Ever meet someone who just makes things happen? Maybe he/she is a pro networker or excellent multitasker or just drinks a ton of coffee.
Ever heard of someone who just makes things happen in the middle of a rural village? Without social media, without the connections, without resources, without coffee (gasp). Just tons of grit and determination.
That’s Precious Chisangano. This woman.
Read MorePatience's story is just one of many, and she represents the dozens and dozens of women in our program who have risen above oppression to choose a better life for themselves and their families. Her story is still being written, as she's a current student in our Kaunda Square location. She will graduate this coming March. During our recent trip to Zambia we asked who would want to share their story with our CiH family in America, and Patience was eager to do so.
Read MoreYes, you read that correctly! We are launching our FOURTH location on August 2nd!!
Read MoreThese women blow us away. Not only do they rise above oppression and abuse and all things awful to pave a new path for their entire families by learning a skillset, but they also transform into confident, beautiful, incredibly talented designers and seamstresses in the process. It is SO FUN to witness!! Since we didn't have it in the budget to fly all of you over to Zambia to see it for yourselves this past March, here are some of the highlights of Project Runway: Zam Edition...
Read MoreOur landlord thought he could take advantage of our women. We said no way. We packed our bags and moved out of there into a new Kaunda Square facility. We need YOUR help to fund this unexpected change. Just 10 of you to give $10/month will give our ladies safety, running water, electricity, and the message that injustice will not prevail.
Read More7 women. Starting a new chapter of life. That's what happened a few weeks back when I was visiting our program in Zambia. We celebrated the Graduation Day for 7 women who worked to hard to ALL receive Diplomas in Sewing & Entrepreneurship.
Read MoreHere’s a little photo journey of a “typical” day at the Chikondi Community Center in the heart of the Ng’ombe Compound in Lusaka, Zambia.
Read MoreYesterday, April 2nd, we had the pure joy of celebrating the accomplishments of 27 women and 2 men in our Clothed in Hope Skills Training Program. These students completed our curriculum in sewing and business training, preparing them to be entrepreneurs for the betterment of their families.
Read MoreDrumroll, please! We have some very exciting news to share...
Read MoreHappy New Year!
We hope each of you have had a joyful and HOPE-filled start to 2016. We are so excited to share the results of our year-end campaign soon, but first we wanted to share this story. And if you’re new to our CiH family, welcome!
As many of you know, one of our ladies, Esther, was in a tragic accident a couple months back, resulting in the death of her husband and two of their children. Esther is part of the House of Moses Orphanage partnership class, identified as vulnerable to having her children taken away if her and her husband couldn’t find a way to earn an income. This vulnerable identification was placed on them from the Zambian government before the accident.
Imagine the past couple of months that Esther has faced. Not only did she bury her baby and first born child, but she also attended the funeral of her husband, housed all out-of-town relatives for months, lost her primary income source (her husband), and struggled to survive.
After we shared her difficult story, you all stepped up, big time. You donated almost $1,000 to cover her immediate expenses of food, soap, child’s school fees, etc. And together with the community of our CiH classes, Esther and her remaining child have survived. They have been comforted, encouraged, uplifted. They have felt great pain, but they have also experienced great hope through the women surrounding her who have spent hours praying with her, cooking for her, cleaning her entire home.
We expected Esther to be out of class for weeks, months, potentially a year, until she could get herself out of bed and re-join the group. But just THIS WEEK, the start of a new year and her graduation year, Esther walked back through our doors. Still tender, still hurt, but walking forward, stepping into community, and making progress in her healing process.
(Esther in yellow, working on her end-of-course practical exams)
We are so proud of Esther. We are so overjoyed to have her back at our Chikondi Community Center. Esther thanks each one of you who have played a part in her story of rising from the ashes. It’s just the beginning, but she is so very thankful.
And also just as exciting, Esther is looking forward to the future now. She is dreaming of ways to care for her child, not out of desperation but out of pride and hope. With your contributions made in 2015, we are able to provide Esther with a seed for her to launch her own business, a long-term solution to her immediate needs.
Esther will receive a sewing machine and materials, an opportunity given to her by you. A rare occurrence in our programming, but a bright solution to a tragedy in our family. Esther will graduate this March, and she has already started working on her final examination sewing projects. She will start sewing and selling curtains as her business, and she is so excited about it.
We are, too! For a woman to grasp a long-term solution rooted in education and independence, especially coming out of such a dark situation, is incredible. Her forward thinking and desire for dignifying work is such an encouragement to us, and I hope it is to you also, as Esther paves a new way for women in Zambia.
Esther’s story has touched more lives than we thought possible. And she’s just one woman in our program. Thank you for being a part of a movement so impactful in the lives of so many.
With Chikondi,
Amy
The storm that destroyed the facility couldn’t destroy the passion and determination with the Muchochoma Village ladies and our training staff. When life gave them lemons, they made skirts. They made skirts sitting on maize sacks on the ground in the sunshine. The most beautiful skirts from the most inspiring determination.
Read MoreOur heartbeat has been for the vulnerable women of Zambia since the very beginning. And in telling those stories, the cultural norms often come out strong, presenting husbands and fathers as the abusers, as the neglecters, as the ones who don’t care and don’t want to care. And while that’s most always the case with the stories we hear from our ladies, there’s always an exception to the rule. And for this particular story, there are two exceptions to the rule.
Read MoreThere are 2 days when I most wish I could teleport every single one of you over here to Zambia to experience for yourself: the first day of training class and graduation. Today was the first day of training class for our new partnership group from House of Moses/Christian Alliance for Children in Zambia, and it was quite possibly the most moving yet.
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