She Made it Happen

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.

She lives in Muchochoma Village (where we’re about to open our brand new facility!). She graduated from our skills-training program in 2017.

Those two sentences seem matter-of-fact, but let’s break that down a bit:

-Muchochoma Village: a rural village 3 hours outside Lusaka, the capital city; a former self-proclaimed “beggar village” as the poorest of the poor in the region before we started our training; a farming community; the “typical” village with mud brick and grass thatch huts; primarily accessible by ox-drawn carts

-Graduating from our skills-training program: for a woman in the village to graduate from our program, it takes extra grit. She is already responsible for tending to her family’s farm plot and working the land. She’s responsible for raising the children, few of whom are able to go to school. Yet she finds time to attend class regularly, learn how to sew and how to run a business, create 5 custom garments without patterns, and jump on a CiH bus to Lusaka to graduate. A lot, right? It is.

Precious did it. She graduated. And she used that momentous occasion as a launch pad for her dreams. Some may say that her life will never change because she lives the village life. But Precious believes otherwise.

She wants to be a businesswoman.

Instead of waiting for our next microloan cycle to get the capital needed to purchase a sewing machine, she went out (literally) and MADE IT HAPPEN.

She went out into the nearby forest to join others from the village in harvesting charcoal. She took the hundred-pound logs, cut them down, put them into 50 pound bags to sell on the roadside, and sat outside in the blazing sun to sell her handmade bags of charcoal.

We had no idea. But that’s how she wanted it. She wanted to make it happen because she knew she was capable and strong and smart. Goodness is she smart.

Precious sold enough bags of charcoal on the roadside to buy her own machine. SHE BOUGHT HER OWN SEWING MACHINE, folks!

The start of her own small business. Her dream becoming a reality. She is now making custom garments and school uniforms for customers from nearby villages. She plans to open her own stand to showcase her beautiful work.

Precious says,

My family will have a better life now than before.

Instead of patting her own back for MAKING IT HAPPEN, she says thank you. Thank you to her teachers and to each one of you who supports Clothed in Hope.

Thank you for empowering Precious to see what she’s capable of - big, wonderful, incredible things. A new path for her family. A fresh start.

Precious with her VERY OWN SEWING MACHINE! Her smile - that’s what it’s all about.

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Want to jump in to provide skills-training to even more women like Precious in Muchochoma Village and in Lusaka? We’d love to have you! Join our HOPE Club to provide life-changing opportunities and write stories of HOPE with us.

Patience's Story

If you're part of our HOPE Club, you're already familiar with this story since it was our October HOPE Story. But it was too special to keep within the Club, so we're sharing it with all of you!

Patience'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. 

Patience has a voice and she's excited to use it. It's up to us to listen, to be inspired, and to act.

"My name is Patience Mulenga. I have one boy who is 4 years old and one girl who just turned 1 year. I started at this Kaunda Square class in March.
 
I heard about the class from the first group of students. I was standing by the road one day and helped them carry chitenge fabric and a machine. I told them that I wasn’t doing any business, and they invited me to join the class since I was just sitting at home. I met with the Teacher to find out if I could join and she said I could start in March.
 
I have enjoyed learning everything so far. I’ve always had the passion to sew but didn’t know anything about it. Someone bought me an old sewing machine a while ago, and now I can actually start to use it. Learning has given me so much joy and I’ve been inspired. I’ve managed to learn how to sew other things. I can see clothes I like and then cut out the design on fabric to make it. I can imagine a design and then make it. My sewing isn’t perfect but I am still practicing.
 
When I finish my course and start my sewing business I will be able to enroll my son into preschool. I want to name my business 'With God.'
 
You should continue with funding this program. You are really empowering a lot of us and it’s helping us women who are less privileged. The skill will take us far. There are many women going about and sleeping with men so that they can feed their children. But with this, a lot of women will be able to stand on their own as women. When you have this skill as a woman, you can go far. You will never lack. So I am saying thank you for this program."

Did you catch that?

When you have this skill as a woman, you will go far. 

You will never lack. 

THIS is what you are giving to women in Zambia when you partner with us. This dignity, this hope, this confidence, this success. While Patience is the one overcoming much, you can be the facilitator of that change. You get to link arms with her and see lives changed in Zambia. 

Want in?

Our FOURTH Location!

Yes, you read that correctly! We are launching our FOURTH location on August 2nd!!

As you may know, we launched a partnership with Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE)/Christian Alliance for Children in Zambia (CACZ) as part of their Empower & Earn component of their Family Preservation programs. I first learned about their House of Moses infant home when I moved to Zambia in 2012. I loved their facility, enjoyed their friendly and attentive staff, and could only ever dream of partnering with them. One of our deep-rooted motivations at CiH is orphan prevention. So when I received the call from a staff member at House of Moses wanting to explore a partnership together in the name of family empowerment and orphan prevention, I was thrilled!

Fast forward a few years later. We will be graduating our 2nd class of students from ACE/CACZ this September! We've learned that families in these vulnerable situations are highly motivated and highly capable of providing for their families to keep their children in the home and out of the orphanage. We never thought we'd get to play such a direct role in orphan prevention, but we're here. And friends, IT IS THE BEST!! Graduation Day is always exciting getting to recognize the determination, courage, and skills of the women in our program, overcoming immense cultural obstacles and oppression to do so. But when you throw in these students who also get to celebrate keeping their children in their home because they can financially provide for them, it is a PARTY!!

This partnership is really just beginning, and we can't imagine better people to work alongside. The folks at ACE/CACZ have invited us to open a FOURTH location at the House of Moses in their Skills-Training Room. We will provide the training, curriculum, and materials needed to run this 2x weekly, 12-month program operating in the same format as Ng'ombe and Kaunda Square (but differently than our Village Program in Muchochoma Village). 

And the even more amazing news, an INCREDIBLY GENEROUS businessman stepped up and pledged to sponsor this class for the NEXT 5 YEARS!!! He is moved by the need in Zambia and wants to see women empowered for the sake of their entire families. With 12 students averaging around 100 children impacted per class, that's around 500 children who will be benefitted through this incredible commitment. Children get to stay in families. Children get to eat. Children get to go to school. Children get to grow up walking a different road than their parents, all because their mothers (and some fathers!) took these brave, bold steps to make a change and break the cycle.

Francis graduated from the first class of the House of Moses/ACE/CACZ students. He now runs his own successful tailoring shop AND is the mastermind behind the Francis Shopper Totes.

Rejoice with us, friends! There is so much beauty in this partnership and we are so grateful for it and the opportunity to play a role in orphan prevention and family preservation in Zambia! We are excited to share photos and videos of this class in the coming weeks and months as they settle into their new home in Chelstone, Lusaka, Zambia.

Welcome to the fam, Chelstone location! And the biggest THANK YOU to the company who made it happen!

(And if you know a business or run a business that would like to invest in changing lives in Zambia through class sponsorship, we have 2 other locations of folks who are ready and desperate to begin their training. All we're waiting on is the funding to make it happen! Contact me HERE to get the ball rolling with this high-impact opportunity with long-lasting benefits)

Our first HoM/ACE/CACZ Graduation with some of their amazing staff who attended

Project Runway #2

Last year we started this friendly competition between past + current graduates at our March Graduation. It was such a hit that students asked that we do it again! Here's how it goes: past and current graduates are given 2-4 meters of fabric (or can use their own), and only have 1 week to create a custom design of their own. Then they have to strut their stuff and model it in front of the entire graduation audience! The audience votes for the Top 3 and winners get a cash prize (and bragging rights!). 

These 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...

Precious kicks off the competition with this custom tunic + head wrap, and styles her outfit with black leggings and perfectly matching heels.

Next up: this gorgeous sweetheart neckline dress with an A-line skirt

Bridget reacts to cheers from the crowd with this matching dress, jacket, visor, boots outfit. Such creativity!

Staying on trend with this hi-low hem dress in a gorgeous fabric of her own, with waistline, neckline, and sleeve detailing.

Gladys' head-to-toe ensemble gets quite the reaction from the crowd. Matching purse, a-line dress, and traditional hat in a beautiful traditional chitenge fabric. 

Maureen's final pose... check out that pleating detail on the neckline and hem! Gorgeous.

Doreen goes for the fashion-forward look with a peplum top and matching trousers. We love her matching makeup!

Our only male graduate, Aaron, receives thunderous applause, cheering, and shouting for this incredible chitenge suit, complete with sequin trim and a matching cane + hat combo. 

The Runway show concluded with SO many amazing designs from some ridiculously talented students of ours. But there could only be 3 winners...
Congrats to Bridget (1st place from Kaunda Square), Doreen (2nd place from Kaunda Square), and Precious (3rd place from Ng'ombe)!!

YOU are making this possible. The skill, the passion, the drive, and the dream. Women once discouraged by the hardships they've endured their entire lives are now dreaming big and opening their own tailoring shops featuring amazing custom designs like these. You are investing in the art of fashion design and the heart of rising above in a dignifying way. Thank you, friends. 

With Chikondi (Love),
Amy
CiH Founder & Executive Director

We've Moved!

I received an urgent call from our ladies a few weeks back. The current landlord at our Kaunda Square facility was bullying our ladies. The "Mama Bear" in me asked lots of questions to figure out what was happening. And it wasn't good. The landlord took advantage of the women - and their lack of voice in society - and started using their property as storage for his house. Sounds crazy, right? Imagine this: the entire yard was filled with his belongings and building materials for his own home renovation. He tore down a part of our concrete wall to make more room for his things - exposing our facility to everyone around and putting our women at risk. He instructed his workers to come and go freely into that property, so women would often be the first to walk into the sewing training facility to find that they weren't the first inside. Some strange men were already there collecting and delivering this landlord's items for him. 

To put it plainly, this Mama Bear wasn't happy. Our ladies were being taken advantage of simply because they were women. But they knew things weren't right. That's why they called. 

Without any legal options to keep this man from abusing our rent money and taking our facility from us even as we were paying for it, we took the situation into our own hands. No longer will the women of Kaunda Square believe that they can be preyed upon because they are women. 

So this Mama Bear told the ladies to move. Get the heck outta there. For their safety, for the safety of our staff and equipment, and to find a place that wouldn't abuse and take our money - your money. 

The ladies of Kaunda Square scoured the entire compound and had just days to do so. The next rent payment was due, and there was no way that it was going to that corrupt landlord. So they found this amazing facility. Gated, secure, with a huge yard, so many rooms, much bigger than the already-cramped facility we were currently renting. As if that wasn't amazing enough - it has running water with a sink, toilet and shower, which is like striking gold in a compound. It also has electricity. What a gem they found! 

It was also the only other facility that was big enough to hold the 20+ students in the Kaunda Square class that was available ASAP. 

Here's the catch. It is $100/month more. Instead of $150/month, it's $250/month. And while that may not seem like much (and it sure sounded like a deal to me!), it's money that wasn't budged for or anticipated. 

I think we can handle it - you and me. What if just 10 people sign up to give $10/month to cover this facility that gives these women safety, a few luxuries, and room to grow? Our ladies deserve that, right? 

Just 10 of you to sign up for the amount of a Netflix subscription to give 20 women every year the opportunity to experience life-change through skills-training education. Can we do that together, friends? 

Sign up with the button below. And here are a few pics from move-in day in our new Kaunda Square facility with women already hard at work on their custom outfits for their Graduation Day coming up soon!

Let's do this. 
With Chikondi (Love),
Amy/CiH Mama Bear

Women from Kaunda Square thank you for their new training facility. "As you can see, it's very big! It's nice! Well kept!" We need an additional $100/month to cover this unexpected move and increase in rent as a result. Give $10/month to keep our ladies in the facility that they love. www.clothedinhope.org/hopeclub

Graduation Day: October

7 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. I watched on from our Staff Table as the proud Mama Amy to all of the women in the audience. Instead of listening to me ramble on about all of my feelings on that day (which I could do forever!), here's a little photo story from our most recent Graduation Day:

Our Emcee (in blue) was a student from our Kaunda Square location. Next to her in a custom & handmade outfit is our beloved In-Country Director, Elina. 
And pictured behind them is our new generator!! Made possible during our last sewing machine campaign and that helped give us sound and music for the fun day. 

After a little word of encouragement from the Emcee, we all enjoyed a snack: Fanta + homemade chocolate chip scones made by our Baking Instructor, Margret. Delish!

Women from all classes, previous and current, came to support the women graduating. This beautiful woman is from our newest House of Moses partnership class. 

And new babies get to meet the rest of the ever-growing CiH family, like Patricia's baby girl, Blessing.

We take a break after each segment of the Graduation program to do what we love most- DANCE!

Skits were presented and then kind words were spoken over our Graduating Class, these women pictured here. Each graduate gets 4 yards of fabric to design and make her own graduation outfit that expresses her style and talent. One of our favorite parts of the whole day is seeing our graduates when they arrive!

Then the presentation of Diplomas. And lots of hugs and smiles. These women worked so hard for the past 12 months, passed multiple examinations, and defeated all opposition around them that told them they couldn't do it. Most of the graduates were recognized for the first time in their entire lives. 

On the far left is Mrs. Mulenga, our Lead Instructor. Next to her is Elina, In-Country Director. And on the far right- me! Wearing a custom chitenge suit made for me by Elina. 

So many hugs for the woman who taught each and every student- Mrs. Mulenga.
So much love!

I got to speak truth and encouragement over all of my "babies" as their Mama Amy. A joy to share with these women that they are loved, that they matter to the world, that they are all uniquely perfect exactly as they are. 

Presenting the 7 Graduates of the Class of October 2016!!

After the ceremony concluded, everyone wanted their turn at a fun photo. I print all of these photos and give them to each person when I go to Zambia. For many of them, it's one of the only photos they have of themselves. 

Graduates can bring their children or family members to share in this special day. Even more special is that these girls now have the memory of their mother achieving such an amazing accomplishment. We can't wait to see the impact this day has on these young lives years down the road. What an amazing example this brave, beautiful, hardworking mama has set for her girls!

More fun family photos to celebrate such a joyous day!

The next generation of Clothed in Hope. This little world changer. 

And last but never least- the peanut butter to my jelly. The nshima to my relish. The salt to my pepper. The most amazing woman, Elina. Clothed in Hope wouldn't be what it is today without her and we love her!!

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Sometimes I cringe when I hear the words "changing lives" because that seems like such a bold claim. But on Graduation Days like this one in early October, I know it's true. Clothed in Hope is changing the lives of women in Zambia. A bold statement, but a true one. From despair to hope. Mourning to gladness. So much joy, so much confidence, and so much capability. The sky is truly the limit for these incredible women who have chosen HOPE despite the challenges and oppression all around them. 

And who's helping to change those lives? YOU. If you are a HOPE Club supporter, donor, customer, advocate, you made this happen, and you continue to make this happen. We celebrate with you and are so thankful for you! 

If you want to be part of this goodness, there's no better time than now to join!

With Chikondi,
Amy + the CiH team

A Day at Chikondi Community Center

So many people we meet ask us, “what does your typical day look like?” Although it’s hard to have a “typical” day with so many variables constantly changing (new classes coming, others graduating, women leaving to give birth to sweet babies, our guard dog giving birth to 10 puppies- that happened this week!, etc.), we do have a pretty standard format that we like to stick to in the midst of the change. 

Here’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. This facility is our original training site, our home base for all programs in Zambia. 

Our first class of students arrive at 10am. 

They can bathe with our clean water (from that big green tank) if they're out of water at home.

These two cuties (Harvest and Martha) - or an array of others - are ready to greet everyone at the front door. 

Our beginner level class spends most of their 2-hour class at the Cutting Table with our Tailoring Instructor, Mrs. Mulenga, as she teaches practical lessons for ease of learning for illiterate and non-English speaking students. 

Students can then work on our Center sewing machines on assignments that they are given from class. 

Starting around 11:30, Sylvia and Margret prepare lunch for staff, kids, and any women still working at the facility during the 1pm lunch hour. 

And even when power outages force Margret to cook on the charcoal stove, she still finds so much joy in cooking her famous dishes. 

1pm and lunch is served! This is typically the biggest meal of the day. The top right is Nshima- a corn meal mixture thicker than grits. It is balled up in the right hand and used to eat the "relish" or stew (bottom is stewed pumpkin leaves called Chibwabwa), and the meat with sauce (chicken here). 

Many aspects of life are the same no matter where you live- like afternoon nap time. Anywhere from 1 to 6 babies can be found in our Showroom on the foam mattress for nap time while mamas work on assignments. 

At 2pm (or 14 hours as we say), the next group of students arrive for their 2-hour class. Students take notes from Instructor Tresa. Those who can't read or write learn from oral instruction accompanying this lesson.

Lead Instructor Mrs. Mulenga helps out as students bring in their own patterns and garments for design and sewing questions.

And as the power comes back on around 4pm, current students and graduates pour back into the Center to work on their own projects, orders for customers, and class assignments. Stella is known as the baby fanatic, joyfully babysitting for mamas to get some much-needed alone time while sewing. Here is Margret's baby, Rabon.

During afternoon downtime while mamas take advantage of the electricity, kids come over after school to play with their friends in our secure yard. 

Once all of the ladies and kiddos have headed home for the day, we release our big, bad guard dog (she's actually the sweetest dog ever- don't tell). Eddie (right) and Abraham, our full-time Facility Caretakers, take it from there to keep our CCC safe and secure.

And the next day it starts all over again! Our program is now a well-oiled machine is thanks to our 10 local staff who keep everything moving smoothly and forward as we continue growing and expanding.

When you are a member of the HOPE Club, you make this daily beauty possible by providing life-changing skills training classes to dozens of women in Lusaka, Zambia. If you haven't joined us yet, we would love to have you on board!

Graduation Day April '16

Yesterday, 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. 

Our graduation day was unique in that we graduated 3 special classes: our first group from Muchochoma Village, our partner group with House of Moses Orphanage/Christian Alliance for Orphans in Zambia working with vulnerable families at risk of losing their children, and our partner group from International Justice Mission who began their program as the Zambia office closed. 

Each of our students, these in particular, carry heavy stories, traumatic experiences, years of oppression. As one graduate, Ngoza, shared,

"I was born in poverty. People told me I would never escape poverty, but here I am with a skill. A skill that no one can take away from me. A skill that is able to feed my family and provide for us."

Thank you for changing the lives of 27 women and 2 men as they received certificates and diplomas at our April 2016 Graduation Ceremony. It was a celebration of joy in the midst of pain, of freedom in the face of oppression. 

If you're not already on board, we invite you to join us in this life-changing work by joining our HOPE Club. Your commitment of $25/month means education, empowerment, and opportunity for more vulnerable women in Zambia. You get to be a world changer, right where you are. 

Ngoza, graduate from IJM partnership class

Francis, graduate from House of Moses Orphanage partnership class

Elizabeth, graduate from Muchochoma Village class

In-Country Director Elina, Muchochoma Village Graduate Iledi, and Founder Amy

Grace, House of Moses graduate, so excited to receive her diploma

House of Moses Orphanage/CACZ graduates with HOM + CiH Staff

Muchochoma Village graduates gifting Amy with a Village chicken- a generous and honoring act!

Beautiful CiH Alum returning to support the current graduates

It was such a joyous day! To view more photos, head here. 

And to join the HOPE Club to be a part of this goodness, click here.

With Chikondi (Love),
Amy

Drumroll, Please! Exciting News...

Drumroll, please! We have some very exciting news to share!

After months of planning and fundraising and preparing, we are launching our new training site at Kaunda Square Compound!!!

We are still have a bit to go to have this program fully funded, but we’re launching in faith that it’ll come in, because the women in Kaunda Square are so very ready to begin their life-changing journey. 

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with the new group of women in their new training space. I hyped up the announcement and shouted out, “SURPRISE!!” I had different expectations of how the women would react. Instead of crazy shouts and screams and impromptu dancing (per usual), there were just hesitant smiles and a few quiet cheers. 

What on earth?! Wasn’t this supposed to be the best news ever for this group of women who has been meeting weekly for over 6 months at the possibility of them starting soon?

Then I surveyed the room. On the outer edges of the room, surrounding the group of women in the middle, was our staff and current students. Those were the women with the hugest smiles written across their faces, cheering to each other, busting out some moves in their chairs. 

Because they know. They know the life-change that these women in Kaunda Square are about to experience. They know that this program is real and is powerful, and is so very effective in vulnerable communities. They know their own success stories, stories of empowerment and rising above oppression to take steps on a journey of HOPE. 

That’s worth getting excited about. The hope-filled potential in 16 women’s lives. The journey ahead of them is worth cheering for. They may not know all that lies before them, but friends, we sure do. You do, you’ve seen it too. 

As we begin this program for the 16 women below, we want to invite 16 of you to join the HOPE Club in a symbolic and necessary step to get this program going. When you join the HOPE Club from the button below, you’ll receive a thank you note from one of the 16 women. You can know that you are directly involved with this launch, and that we couldn’t do this without you. 

Introducing, our new 16 in Kaunda Square Compound:
Gladys Kamanga
Unice Witi
Angelina Phiri
Clementina Mwamba
Clara Zyongwe
Mwengu Maninga
Monica Tembo
Florence Zulu
Jacklyn Mwakatobe
Doreen Nyimbiri
Gloria Banda
Christine Liswaniso
Grace Mudenda
Jocelyn Zyongwe
Precious Mukanda
Bwlya Lesa

When I asked these women if they wanted to share their stories, almost half of them rose out of their chairs and followed me outside, so eager to be heard. Here’s one of these powerful stories:

Mwengu is almost 26 years old. Her dad died before she finished grade 12, and when he passed, so did the income for her to continue her education. She has 6 siblings, and still lives at home as the second born child with much responsibility in the family. All of Mwengu’s friends are prostitutes in Kaunda Square. They go to the bars as early as 7am to begin working. They have children from different fathers, and the children can’t attend school because their mothers are essentially absent from their lives due to their lifestyles. Mwengu is passionate about helping her friends. It’s so hard for her to watch her friends choose such difficult lives. Her ultimate dream after finishing our course is to start a specialized training course specifically for women involved in prostitution, reaching out to such a hurting and needy people group in the compound. 

Mwengu's Enrollment Photo

We invite 16 of you to step up and join our 16 women in Kaunda Square, taking brave and bold steps to give HOPE to a new community. Join us.

 With Chikondi and HOPE, 
Amy

Esther is Back!

Happy 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

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Make A Skirt

Back in 2012, our first graduating class was overjoyed to learn new skills, so much so that they had to share them. There was no other option. They believed that women all over Zambia needed to get some of what they were getting: hope, knowledge, community, purpose. On their own they sought out a remote village three hours outside Lusaka, in an area where ox-drawn carts are the primary mode of transportation and the closest government school is over an hour’s walk. This village is called Muchochoma Village, and ever since 2012, they have been part of our Clothed in Hope family. 

These twelve women in the Muchochoma Village training group have endured hardships many of us cannot even imagine. When we first started coming to the village, Muchochoma villagers were known to other villages as the “beggars.” They couldn’t even afford food or soap. Yet these women weren’t (and still aren’t) bound by their circumstances. They are capable, determined, and bright. 

When our once-every-two-month visits turned into twice-monthly visits due to the drive and passion of the village ladies, we needed a facility. A place to learn sewing, business management, health education and personal development skills. A place to gather together and build a community of encouragers and doers. Rather than ask for an elaborate structure, the twelve women came together to make bricks by hand. Mud bricks, hand crafted, did you catch that? They built a structure, and we provided the roofing and support poles. We traded the mango tree shade for this building, and everyone loved it. 

The original structure at Muchochoma Village, with HANDMADE bricks.

Until just a few months ago, during rainy season, when a terrible storm ripped through the village, tearing off our roofing sheets, damaging them, and destroying the handmade bricks. The building was leveled to the ground with materials scattered. Our home of HOPE in Muchochoma Village, destroyed. 

Everyone was devastated. But the sorrow didn’t last too long. The storm that destroyed the facility couldn’t destroy the passion and determination of 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. 

Iledi with her beautiful skirt. 

We’ve decided that it’s time to ramp up our partnership in Muchochoma Village. These ladies express such a hunger for learning, for change, for empowering others in surrounding villages, and we want to be a part of that. So we’re currently in the final weeks of building a permanent concrete structure where the old facility stood. 

A new Chikondi Community Center. A new home of HOPE for Muchochoma Village women and their families. And it’s not just a center for CiH programs. The Chikondi Community Center: Muchochoma Village will also serve as a primary school building for village children to learn, some attending school for the first time in their lives since they were previously unable to afford school fees or make the trek to the government school. This is truly a community center, a gathering place, a safe haven, a school, a beacon of hope to this community and countless others. 

The Muchochoma women are the artisans of our Village Twist Bracelets, and have utilized their business training to invest their bracelet income into purchasing farming fertilizer. For the first year in this village, they had a profitable harvest. From training to bracelets to a harvest and a sustainable income source for this village, we continue to be blown away by what is happening in Muchchoma Village. 

Nothing can stop these women from working hard for their families and their community. The once “beggar village” is now a generous village, handing out crops and goods to surrounding villages in need because of their empowerment, their opportunity, and their new business. The headman of Muchochoma Village (similar position to a Mayor for Americans) approached us recently to share, “this is exactly the type of project I want for my village.” Not a handout but an opportunity through empowerment and education. A truly lasting impact for the community. A dignifying path for women and their families. He invites us to continue, to keep on, and is as excited as we are for our permanent facility to be completed in the next few weeks. 

The oldest woman of the village, who the ladies refer to as "Sweet Sixteen," hard at work using the manual hand sewing machine.

All of this because our first class of students in 2012 wanted to pay it forward and give others the skills they have. Zambians bettering Zambia from the inside out. A true inspiration to all of us, and a joy to our always-expanding CiH family. 

Thank you for making this incredible empowerment and sustainability possible. We can’t wait to show you photos of the new Chikondi Community Center, where many more beautiful skirts will be made for years to come. 

With Chikondi (Love),
Amy 

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If you would like to donate towards the cost of this Chikondi Community Center in Muchochoma Village (around $6,000), click “Donate” below. All donations are 100% tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. 

Unlikely Students

Our 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. 

When we signed a partnership with House of Moses Orphanage, we were overcome with the excitement and hope that we get to play an active role in orphan prevention and family perseveration through empowering mothers with a skill before they are forced or encouraged to give up their children for them to experience a better life. We always just assumed that these willing participants, so passionate about keeping their children in their home, would be mothers. And while that’s true of the majority of the class, it’s not the complete truth. 

Enter: Francis and Richard. Dads. Husbands. An incredible inspiration to all of us at the Chikondi Community Center, from students to staff, and now reaching across the ocean. These men aren’t like the others.

They don’t abuse their wives; they speak openly against it. Francis tells our ladies  that no man should ever lay a hand on them. 

They don’t run from their families when the going gets tough; they enter in. Francis and Richard have both stepped up to do everything they can to get their family out of this desperate situation and into financial independence for the sake of their children.

They don’t sit by apathetically; they work hard. With an 85% unemployment being the reality in this compound setting, these men break the mold by seeking out a skill that will turn into self-employment. They are taking their future into their own hands by becoming skilled entrepreneurs, and putting in the hard work to get there. 

They don’t leave family responsibilities to the mother; they share the load. Francis brings his 5-year-old son, Blessing, to class daily so he can play with the other kids and witness his dad working hard for his family. And while Richard’s wife has struggled to learn a skill, rather than shame her, he has stepped up and joined the class, helping her carry the weight of the current situation. 

So this Father’s Day, we celebrate the exceptions in Zambia, the dads who are courageously choosing to stand up in their society and defy the cultural norm to love their families deeply, sacrificially, and boldly. Our hearts burst at the sight of these two men, Francis and Richard, with measuring tapes in hand, eager and quick to learn the skill of tailoring so that their children don’t have to become orphans. For their sacrifice, and for the sacrifice of all of the incredible dads out there, we say thank you. Zikomo Kwambili. 

Francis, father to a 5-year-old son, showing off the skirt pattern he created. 

Richard, dad of twins, hard at work at the Chikondi Community Center. 

Happy Father’s Day!

With Chikondi (Love), 
Amy

CiH + CACZ: The Brave Beginning

There 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. 

I hear a little tap on our big black gate, and the door opens as each woman timidly steps through the gate door. Led by their contact from CACZ, they huddle behind her unsure of what they’ve just stepped into. These ladies are all different ages. Each woman carries a different story in her eyes and a different weight on her shoulders. 

But for all, the reality is that they are struggling to provide for their families. They have been identified as vulnerable people by CACZ, and are part of a temporary handout program to provide food for their children so they won’t have them taken away. Times are tough, tougher than I, or most likely any of you, could ever imagine. 

The ladies file in one by one and sit on the benches inside the Chikondi Community Center. Our lead instructor, Mrs. Mulenga, encourages them as she has every other student who has gone before them. She tells them that they can do it. And sitting amongst the women is a man. A man who we assumed to be a worker from CACZ, but is actually a new student. 

Our first male student, named Francis. Words can’t express the kindness and vulnerability written on his face. He’s an older gentleman with the softest soul. He’s come to learn a skill to provide for his family. In a group of 10 women, he’s made the choice to step out, perhaps the most risky choice of all. And right in the middle of Mrs. Mulenga’s encouragement talk, she speaks to Francis directly and says, “Look around this compound. Every other man is out there drinking beer and being destructive, and here you are. Because you care about your family. We are proud of you.”

Yes and yes a million times over. What started as a day of routine turned into a day of a brilliant surprise. A man who doesn’t want to beat his wife but wants her to feel led and provided for. A father who loves his kids so much that he travels over an hour each way to attend class at our Chikondi Community Center. A man so brave that he’s stepped onto a path that very few men dare walk on here- a path of dignity, integrity, selflessness, leadership, and self-respect. 

What an incredible symbol this man is and will be to this group of women, to all of us at the center, and to entire communities. A man who refuses to cave from all of life’s pressures, and a man who rises up alongside some pretty mighty women. 

Brave. These women and this man exude this word in every possible way. One woman has come all the way from a village outside of town, a commute 2 hours each way and a monetary sacrifice bigger than her weekly food budget. She comes because she is expectant. She comes because she is brave. 

CiH is bigger than just the Ng’ombe Compound now. We can’t stop the wildfire of HOPE spreading rapidly throughout this community, this city, and now this nation. I stand against the classroom wall during the orientation being led by our local staff, and I am just in awe. In pure amazement that the people of Zambia are empowering each other, are encouraging each other, are supporting each other, and have taken ownership of a program that is truly life changing. 

As we wrap up our first class, women from past and current classes take turns sharing their experiences in front of the group. 

Rodah shows off a dress she made and our top-secret new kids product, and stops mid-story to say quietly yet confidently, “I am so proud.”

My heart explodes. 

Mirriam rushes in screaming, “Praise God!” as she waves a pair of trousers high in the air, trousers that are her last part of her final exams for graduation next weekend. She tells of how her life has changed. Of how being brave has truly impacted her family. 

My heart explodes. 

Catherine walks in holding up a custom dress, and tells a heavier story, the story of when she almost quit. The story of how she stopped attending class for 2 months, but the CiH women cared about her so much that they didn’t let her quit. They made her come back, they encouraged her to press on no matter how hard, and now she will graduate with a diploma in tailoring. She cheers, she bursts with joy, she dances. 

My heart explodes. 

And lastly Elina shares about the beginning of CiH, how I came to Zambia to start this program. How I didn’t choose the wealthy or equipped, but I came to this very compound, to these very people. She gave me recognition that I don’t come close to deserving. Because if you ask me, these women and this man who I met today, they are the brave ones. 

They are the one putting everything on the line to rescue and preserve their families. They are stepping out in a society that says give up. They are choosing education in a cycle that says you’ll never succeed. They are choosing HOPE. 

They are the brave ones. So wherever you are today, whatever risk you feel is too big to take, just take it. Because you have over 60 sisters and a brother 6,000 miles away also choosing to be brave. We’re all going to do this thing together, one stitch at a time. 

With Chikondi (Love),
Amy

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[To join the HOPE Club, committing financially to join us in these efforts, to keep our program going for those brave ones out there, click here. We can’t do what we do without you.]