Meet Deja

Deja is the Summer 2016 Intern for Meredith, our Creative Director. Deja is based in Columbia, SC, and has been a huge asset to our team in the short months that she's been with us! 

Meet Deja!

1.    How did you learn about CiH? 
I learned about CiH from my Principles of Fashion Merchandising class. My teacher Dr. Boggs, informed us of CiH’s Spring 2016 launch party and how Amy, the founder went to USC. I was instantly inspired and wanted to get involved!
 
2.    If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
I would definitely say pizza! I’ve experimented with so many different toppings and sauces that the options are endless and I never get bored!

3.    What is your favorite CiH product?
The Village Twist Bracelets, there’s so many options for more than one and they add a simple chic vibe!

4.    What is the last book you read?
“Purpose Awakening” - Toure Roberts, this book is religion based on how God has an epic purpose for everyone. It’s very encouraging and uplifting! 

5.    What drew you to join the CiH team?
CiH’s purpose is beautiful and inspiring. I love empowering women instead of breaking them down because our world can be cruel. Amy and her company falls right under breaking this cycle. I also wanted to be apart of something bigger than I am!

6.    If you had to describe yourself as an animal what would it be?
I would say a cat. At times I can be aloof and want to be left alone but at the end of the day I just want your love. Haha

7.    Name one fun fact about yourself.
I am a plant-based vegan! I’ve been vegan for 6 months and it has been the best decision I’ve made for my health! 

---

CiH isn't just about what women in Zambia are doing. It's about connecting cultures and working together to empower women of the world through HOPE. If you're interested in being a part of this goodness, Contact Us. 

Meet the Summer Interns

Hi friends!

Allow me to introduce myself, Ashley, along with my fellow intern, Corinne. I am excited and feel privileged to announce that Amy has brought us onto the CiH team in Raleigh, NC as interns for the summer.  Currently we are both students at North Carolina State University studying Fashion and Textile Management.  Corinne and I are excited about our summer internship with CiH to learn more about the organization and how CiH works to support the amazing women in Zambia. 

So we are not strangers, here is a little more about Corinne and myself:

It's me, Ashley!

And here's Corinne!

1. How did you learn about CiH? 
Ashley: I learned about CiH after meeting Amy, the founder of CiH, when she came and spoke to my entrepreneur class about how she started her organization. She explained the struggles and successes of running a non-profit, and the feeling of happiness as she watched the women grow into successful entrepreneurs.
Corinne: I learned about CiH after a friend of mine liked the organization on Facebook. Being interested in fair trade, I looked into CiH and contacted Amy after reading how she started the company and each woman’s story of HOPE.

2. If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Ashley: I am addicted to chocolate chips, so it only makes sense that I would love to eat chocolate chip pancakes for eternity.
Corinne: If I could eat one meal for the rest of my life, I would eat macaroni and cheese. 

3. What is your favorite CiH product?
Ashley: I am torn between the Chikondi Elephant, or the Eddington Bow Tie for my favorite product; I love them both.
Corinne: My favorite product is the Turban Headband.

4. What is the last book you read?
Ashley: I recently finsihed reading Fire Yourself by Willy Stewart.
Corinne: The last book I read was Love Does by Bob Goff.

5. What drew you to join the CiH team?
Ashley: The CiH team offered more than experience in the fashion and business world, it offered the opportunity to empower other women while learning life skills, and support the community’s development both here in the States and in Zambia.
Corinne: The stories of HOPE embodied my passion for fashion and women’s empowerment. Each story demonstrates an incredible drive that inspires me, and I wanted to be a part of writing these stories of HOPE.

6. If you had to describe yourself as an animal what would it be?
Ashley: I would describe myself as a dog, devoted, impatient, protective, and cheerful. The greatest compliment I could receive is, I resemble my dog. My German Shepherd, Abu, is always smiling, eager to learn, but would not take kindly to anyone who tried to harm his family.
Corinne: If I had to describe myself as an animal, I would be a cat. Initially, cats can be standoffish,but once they get to know you, cats are the most loyal best friend you can have. I can be quiet when I first meet you because I am trying to take in as much information as possible; however, once I really get to know someone, I am extremely loyal.

7. Name one fun fact about yourself.
Ashley: I have lived in more than 18 different cities in my life.
Corinne: I am irrationally and totally scared of balloons.

Me, Ashley, with my dog, Abu

Corinne being adventurous in South Africa

Holiday in the Village

A few weeks have passed since the Easter holiday, well maybe a few months, but the memories are stronger than ever from this fun-filled day with our friends in Muchochoma Village. 

On Good Friday, we packed out a Zambian mini bus with over a dozen Lusaka ladies, clean drinking water, vegetables, and even live chickens. It was the day for a party with the women in Muchochoma Village who are part of our program out there, a 3-hour drive from the Chikondi Community Center. 

This was to be our first in-person look at the new facility we built there, the new home of HOPE in this remote village. This trip also served to celebrate the holiday, obviously, and to get to know the new group of women enrolling in the second class in the village. Exciting times, friends!

Before I blab on and on about how fun this day was, I’ll just show you photos instead. Enjoy a glimpse into our Holiday in the Village

This blurry selfie doesn't even do this justice. Friends, we were packed to.the.gills in this Zambian minibus.

Three hours later, we pulled up to this BEAUTIFUL new Chikondi Community Center in Muchochoma Village, made possible by our amazing supporters/donors.

Inside, Lusaka ladies mingled with Village ladies, and we all admired the graduation test pieces adorning the walls. 

This is Precious' display of her graduation testing garments. Each woman made these without electricity, without a fancy machine, many of them stitching garments entirely by hand without patterns. Incredible stuff right there. 

Cecelia, now a graduate of the Village group, prepared a HUGE pot of nshima for all 30+ of us to enjoy for our holiday feast! This took her around 2 hours to prepare, using trees as firewood. 

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Muchochoma, oldest woman in Muchochoma Village at 55 years old, hand-sewed some product samples outside.

New students posed for their registration photos. Psst: their class is needing some new HOPE Club folks to support their 12-month training... is it going to be you?!

We all admired the new crop of sweet potatoes being grown in the village, made possible by Village Twist Bracelet sales for women to buy seed and fertilizer. 

And no holiday is complete without some family photos to remember the day (and these gorgeous handmade outfits!). 

Graduation Note from Amy

When I first landed in Zambia to launch Clothed in Hope in July 2012, I was just 2 months into the real world having graduated that May. At first I was hit with a wave of all that I didn’t know that I didn’t know, like how not to be ripped off by an auto mechanic, or how to drive on the left side of the road in Zambia, or how to run an organization comprised of women who are almost the same age as my mother. I quickly learned how young I was and how little I knew. 

But diving into the role of running an international nonprofit organization, I was also surprised with how much I did know. And I attribute the majority of that to my undergraduate education at the University of South Carolina. During days of figuring out exchange rates with our budgets and pricing of products to sell overseas, I was thankful for my accounting classes. And when it came time to sell those products, with dozens of women counting on me to get our product line up and running, I was thankful for marketing and retail promotion classes. And when discovering the ins and outs of running a business and a nonprofit, I was strangely thankful for Business and Media Law, by far the hardest classes I took in my undergraduate career with the “I Survived Dr. Jay Bender’s Law Class” mug to show for it. 

I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without the University of South Carolina.  It was there I discovered who I am, what I am capable of, and what my dreams are. It was there during my junior year that Clothed in Hope was born. And it was also there that we received a $10,000 gift from a class to get us off the ground. 

I received an email a few weeks back that granted me the opportunity to give back from all that’s been given to me. I was invited to speak at the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management Hooding and Cording Ceremony as the Guest Speaker. Such an honor- a humbling and exciting one. 

After practicing my speech and trying to psych myself up, I walked onto the stage I would be speaking from at the Koger Center. I looked out and saw hundreds of empty seats, and a tinge of excitement flowed through my veins. I remember sitting there four years ago, so unaware of what my future would hold, but so proud of what that ceremony represented from years of hard work and dedication. I remember the nervousness as my peers and I prepared to step into the unknown. And I also giggled at the naivety of that 21-year-old self. 

I soon learned that the group I was expecting to be around 150 was actually 500 attendees who would be staring at me as I spoke about Clothed in Hope and my story from Carolina. I entertained feelings of nervousness for a few minutes which soon turned to excitement and gratitude the second I walked on stage next to the Deans of my college. 

Image by Rick Smoak Photography

After opening remarks from Dean Oh, I took my place at the podium front and center on the Koger Center stage. A few echoes of inadequacy bounced around in my mind, but they were quickly shut out by the excitement of the opportunity to speak with those who would walk in my shoes as a new graduate. 

I shared my story of CiH, of the surprises life brings, both hard and good, and that how we react to them will shape how we live. I shared about the opportunity each and every one of us have to impact our world for the better, whether we work in Zambia with vulnerable women, or work in a cubicle next to a person struggling with the hardships of life. Each one of us, where we are, has the ability to change the world. We just have to make that choice, to choose to use our skills and talents to better this world we live in.  

Image by Rick Smoak Photography

I shared the story that I learned over the last 4 years that I wish I heard before leaving the bubble of college. That life is indeed hard, with its fair share of challenges, but its also full of immense opportunity. That dreaming isn’t foolish, and it’s actually what gets you through the trenches of post-grad life. I felt like I was handing the torch to these brothers and sisters of mine, hoping that as I passed that torch, it would light a fire within each graduate to recognize their full potential to rock the world for good. 

Image by Rick Smoak Photography

A few weeks have passed since I spoke to that group of students. They may have forgotten the words I spoke, as they were overwhelmed with the excitement of graduation weekend. But I haven’t forgotten what it did for my soul, reigniting my own flame, taking me back to my roots, and overwhelming my heart with gratitude for the place that got me started. 

To the University of South Carolina: thank you. I may travel far and wide from my Carolina home in Columbia, SC, but my heart is forever with this incredible institution. And to those of you who are just getting your start, or getting a new start, in this big world: you can do it. I know you can. 

With Chikondi and Forever to Thee, 
Amy

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!

Who Run the World? Girls #IWD2016

To kick off this celebratory post, I’d love to quote one of my favorite songs, “Who run the world? Girls.” 

Today is International Women’s Day, “celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women,” as stated on the official website. 

And while it may be obvious, I’ll just go ahead and say it- we’re big fans of achievements made by women. Every 6 months, and truly every day, we celebrate the courage, determination, and brilliance of vulnerable women in Zambia as they overcome countless cultural obstacles to learn skills and launch their own small businesses for the betterment of their families. 

This day just feels right. Unifying. On our side of the world in Zambia, we’ll cheer, shout, sing, and of course, dance, as we think of all the women who have gone before us and all those who will come after us to empower others around the world.

I could go into statistic after statistic that proves when you empower a woman, you make the most change within a community. But in the spirit of celebration I’ll spare you all the numbers and reports I geek out on, and I’ll leave you with these 5 great quotes with the faces of 5 incredible women in Zambia. 

And if you want to share them, please do! Use the fun hashtags #IWD2016 and #clothedinhope to connect your images with others around the world. 

---

---

---

---

Happy International Women’s Day!

With Chikondi, 
Amy