A Christmas Lesson

Joy to the world! Christmas time is here in the city (and the country, and suburbia and every place in between). And with Christmas come cookies, lights, trees, and shopping. Santa and elves and jingle bells. Cold hands, cold noses, cold faces, cold feet. Hot chocolate, eggnog, and peppermint candy canes. We hear Rudolph, The First Noel, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing played at least once an hour to get us in the holiday spirit. If all that doesn’t simultaneously cheer you and exhaust you, I don’t know what will.

More importantly than the bustle is the chance Christmas gives us to pause from the hecticness of daily life and think about what really matters to us. For me, that precious opportunity directly follows the biannual crisis that is finals. After weeks of writing papers, studying until 3am, and drinking so much liquid energy that I turn into a coffee bean, I usually begin to question the point of it all. Why do I need to know how to use the statistical program R? Will knowledge of twelfth century Spanish poetry help me communicate better with my neighbors? No, probably not. However, this year has taught me some life lessons that I crucially needed to learn, and Christmas is the perfect opportunity for me to remind myself of those. 

One, happy people let their passions shape their decisions. I’ve found that the things I’m most passionate about – Christ, ethically sourced living, and people – have come to define how I choose to spend my time. Without a passion for fighting human trafficking and ensuring that the products I buy are ones that are not made in exploitative conditions, I would never have found CWOW. Working at Creative Women of the World has been one of the most rewarding, challenging, and growth-inducing experiences of my life. When I signed up to intern for the summer, I thought I would be filing papers and sorting emails. How very wrong I was! Every action, every decision at CWOW is made through our living, breathing mission: inspiring creative business and marketing solutions for women around the world seeking to rise out of extreme poverty, human trafficking and disasters. This little (but growing) nonprofit has shown me that my passions, focused into a mission, can slowly but surely become world change.

Secondly, I have learned that passionate people can never work a 9-5 job. There is always more to do, more to practice, more to perfect. Anyone who has ever worked at a nonprofit can tell you about the multiple times they’ve woken up in the middle of the night with a brilliant new idea or spent hours designing a project at home in front of the TV. Despite the never-ending work, I cannot deny that I love it. Being part of something important, something that matters to me, is worth irregular hours. When your life mission coincides with your job’s mission, you are actually taking your home life to work rather than your work life home.

Thirdly, Christmas is about giving to others like God gave Jesus for us, and there is no better way to give than to use your passions to serve others. At school, I am most happy and most myself when I can find purpose in my activities. Whether it’s justifying that Spanish class with the idea that in the future I will be better able to serve a population that does not share my native tongue or learning statistical programming because it will help me conduct research about human trafficking prevention, viewing my daily activities through the lens of my mission motivates me to always try. I have a burning desire to see an end to systematic exploitation of the poor, orphans, and widows. I want to see women rise up, empowered, to become business leaders, politicians, and doctors in countries where they’ve never had the privilege of an education. I hope that people will one day understand that buying ethically sourced products is worth the effort because each dollar spent is yelling “No!” in slavery’s face.  I cannot change the world just because I’d like to, but I can take my passion for these causes and serve the people in my community in small ways. The smallest gifts can have the largest impact. Just look at the aftermath of what God left us in a manger.

Shop with impact

“What can we do if not prostitution?” a girl in the slums asks Sabina when she tells them she’s there to help them see there’s another way to live life.

“Can you do beadwork?” She asks her in return. “If you can do beadwork, I can help you earn money. If you can’t do beadwork, I can train you, so that I can help you earn money.” The women agreed.

Sabina Wanjiru became a committed Christian in 1991, after she was married with two sons. Much to her dismay, her husband didn’t approve of her “craziness”, and gave her an ultimatum… either him or Christ. She did what she felt was right to do, and she chose to follow Christ. Her husband walked away.

“It was so hard, but I had to do it. He told me that I was gonna become a prostitute, and wished me good luck in that line of work. Then he walked out. He was very arrogant.” So she took her creativity to open-air markets and began selling her items there as a starting point in supporting herself and her 2 boys. A strong woman to the heart of her soul, she made the decision that that was NOT going to be the way she lived her life.

It was at that point that she decided to give her life to helping others. She decided to go into the slums and to find women who were HIV+, and work with them. Those girls & women were a passion for her. She began speaking to them about HIV/AIDS, and educating them on where it comes from. She then began offering them a different way if they wanted to accept it. This is when the women were asking what they could do if not prostitution.

She began small, and now works with over 20 women in the slums. They do beautiful beadwork, and Sabina now has a shop in downtown Nairobi where she can sell those items that they make. It has helped them immensely, and they continue to grow personally because of it. I’m hoping to meet some of these women on my next trip to Kenya.

Because of the work that Sabina does, Creative Women of the World is now working with her, in an effort to further her ministry that she’s established. Sabina mentioned that one of her biggest hurdles is the lack of market. If there's more market, there's more women that she can help in a greater capacity. CWoW hopes to increase that market where they can, and honestly I don’t think it will be hard. Her work & creativity is astounding.

Additionally, I believe that Sabina will be a great resource for us while we continue the business training with the Mwangatu Women. She’s already been through some of what we’re going through in the business mentoring, and she is an established woman who will be able to help out with connections going forward.

The best part is that the only reason we connected with her in the first place was because one of my fellow international advocates, Ellen, met her in the airport in London while they were both on their way to Kenya. What a chance meeting, that could really be great for everyone involved! This is just ONE of the unexplainable yet awesome connections that we've made since beginning this trip 3 months ago.

So when we come back to the US next week, here are some of the amazing products we’re bringing back for CWoW’s “Shop With Impact” Christmas season. When you shop with impact, you help people all over the world in a way that benefits them and you.

Sabina – Helping women with HIV/AIDS in the slums of Nairobi stay out of prostitution.
Anthony – Furthering business and hand skills with street boys in the slums of Nairobi.
Mwangatu Women – women from the slums spreading awareness of HIV/AIDS through creativity.
Regina – one of our artisans who is also HIV+, attempting to start her own business, and is in CWoW’s business training program.

Help a woman avoid/escape prostitution. Help street boys earn their income instead of beg for it. Help women spread awareness of a disease that horribly affects so many. Help people do business in an honest way.

Shop with impact. Make a difference.

www.creativewomenoftheworld.com

Nicole's Journey v4: "I Am a Mountain"

Before I arrived here, I sat in my office at a staff meeting and created my laundry list of things to work on while I was in Kenya. Basically it was a list of concepts, ideas of things we wanted to achive and information we wanted to find out. Quite frankly, I wasn't really sure how I was going to go about tackling this to do list, once I got to Kenya. To be honest, I had absolutley no clue. All I knew was that I needed to pack my bags, kiss my lovelies goodbye, get on that plane, and fly around to the other side to see what awaited.

What awaited me was a journey. One you can't really prepare for, because all you'll end up doing is getting in your own way. I did that on my first day here. Not being in control, or knowing exactly where to go and who to talk to, shook my confidence a bit. But soon I settled in to the journey, quieted my inner voice of control, and opened myself up to whatever came my way. And just listened. This was key. Listen. God has a plan here at work, and if you stay out of His way, beautiful things will happen. When I try and go left, He makes me go right. When I think I know where I'm going, He gets me lost so He can show me something. When I'm stuck in traffic in a stinky, hot, matatu, He plays a commercial on the radio containing a piece of the puzzle I need.

Keyans have a beautiful pace of life. "Pole, pole", they say. Take it easy, take it slow. That's hard to acclimate to as an American who is usually firing on all cylinders, and who's brain never seems to shut off. It makes me wonder what I've been missing, not listening because I am so noisy...

Jen said, "Seeing Creative Women of the World Kenya edition, new markets for the Mwangatu Women, creation of jobs, and potential income generating activities (IGAs) for the Simba Scholars beginning to unfold... Exciting things are happening around every corner... all we gotta do is keep our eyes peeled everywhere we go and opportunities seem to come knocking at our door!" It's so true. I feel like these last few weeks we have seen so much set into motion. So much potential. We've been planting a lot of seeds, and making a lot of wonderful connections and friendships. I cannot wait to see what starts to grow!
I have enjoyed so many aspects of my time here. I have loved working with our artisan women. If I could say this more eloquently, I would. But for me, having only worked with these women from half a world a way, my time here helped me to establish relationships with them that, I believe, is the key to making our work with them super successful. They trust us. They start to believe in themselves. They start to become empowered. And that's essentially what I'm working toward, right? Today, as we parted ways, one of the women, Grace, said to me, "Thank you so much for the work you are doing with us. It makes us very happy and excited." I can't tell you how much that compliment meant to me. "I love you, sister", says another as we say goodbye. I'm not sure I could have explained my gratitude to them for helping me put my confidence back together after I unravelled it on the first day.

I deeply loved getting to spend time with the kids. This did my heart and soul so much good. These are children that live in extreme poverty, have been hurt, have been abandoned, and been all but forgotten. And yet, they are so full of joy, and resilience. And they will love on you so much, that it spills over. I'm not sure I could have explained my gratitude to those little hearts that touched mine... (especially sweet Caroline, little Faith, beautiful Grace, and lovely Mercy).

I cherish the friendships I've made here. Njeri (our house mama), Francis (the most well connected person in Nairobi), Lydia (one of the most lovely women I've ever met), plus the many other people who played a pivotal role in my work here. I'm not sure I could have explained my gratitude to them for making this such a kind a comfortable place to call home for a moment.

And I have enjoyed, beyond words, the time I have gotten to spend with our International Advocate, and my friend, Jen Foster. We came to be friends in a roundabout way. A journey, all its own, that brought us here. We both agree that separate we are good, but together we are great! I'm not sure I could explain my gratitude for your guidance, and friendship during the past few weeks. You've impressed the pants off me, with your fast talking Swahili, and made me laugh till i thought my face would fall off. Mango Juice forever, my sister!

They say God can move mountains. Well, I must be a mountain, because I have been moved. Whatever I have given you, Kenya, you have given me so much more. I take with me joy (despite circumstance), pride, laughter, spirit, hard work, and kindness. And with you I leave a piece of my heart.
Nakupenda Kenya!
Nicole

Nicole's Journey v3: "God Loved Her More"

The days go pretty quickly here, in Nairobi. Each day we've had a meeting, or a goal to source something, or a mission to go look at someplace. God is definitely walking with us. I can't understand why I get lost constantly, just to come to understand that its because God had a different direction for me to head in. Something He needed me to see. Someone He wanted me to meet. So I change my path, and I listen for directions. But mostly I stand in awe.

I am in Nairobi working along Jen Foster, our International Advocate. In addition to working with CWoW, she works with Kenya Simba Scholars (KSS), an organization that helps you sponsor the education of a child here. Many of the kids have been abandoned and other come from extremely poor families who can't afford education. The website is www.kenyasimbascholars.org and I encourage you to check it out. These kids are amazing and love going to school and love their peers and teachers. They are resilient, and joyful, and playful, and smart.

On the day I arrived in Nairobi Jen got news that one of the Simba Scholars had passed away. She had been in and out of the hospital the past month, with what they thought to be rheumatic fever. Her name was Joan and she was 12 years old. The school director, Dorothy, told me that she was a very bright student and one of the student leaders. Jen said she was really talented in drama and singing. I was deeply saddened by the news, especially hearing the backstory of her family situation and abandonment. Lydia, the KSS coordinator, and a very lovely Kenyan woman, told me that the children at the school we all very upset and sad over the news of Joan's passing. "We loved her very much", Lydia said, "but God loved her more."  Hearing that put some peace upon my heart.


Our original plan today (Friday) was to visit the Ngong Hope School and Children's Home where Joan had been, but we soon got word that her funeral would be held today instead and there would be no school. Jen and I consulted Njeri, our house mama, on appropriate attire to wear to a funeral here. We met up with Lydia at the corner bus stop to head out to Ngong slum to find the location of the funeral and burial service. Ngong is big, and busy, and a chaotic hot mess of life and commerce. As Lydia, Jen and I walked the main road thru the slum, Lydia would occasionally stop and ask people the way to the burial site, since we weren't quite sure where it was we were going. A ways down the road we arrived at a large field that looked more like a landfill than a grave yard. There was lots of trash, and cows grazing, and thin, stray dogs digging around. I noticed piles of dirt and stones with crosses placed in them, located randomly throughout the field. My heart sunk to think this child would be laid to rest here. This is not something I know.
As we waited along the road, others started to show up. Lydia greeted a woman and her five daughters. She was one of the parents of the school children and two of her girls were Simba Scholars. She was lovely and kind, and introduced herself as Esther. She introduced her girls, Mary (12), Mercy (11), Grace (9), Faith (6), and baby Joy (1). The girls were sweet as pie, and although shy of us mzungus (white people) at first, warmed up quickly. Faith snatched onto my hand and played with my skin and we visited and took photos with each other.
Soon the school children arrived, and we all took our place in the field around a table that had been carried in. A car pulled up with a small wooden casket on top. This was the second moment it got hard for me. The air was somber as adults wailed and kids sat quietly in the grass. I stood with Jen, Lydia, and Dorothy, the school director. Grace, Mercy, and Faith surrounded close around me.
The first thing that took place was a tradition of taking photos with the casket. Groups were called up one by one. First the family members...then the teachers...Joan's nurses from the hospital...church members...visiting guests... At this I felt a nudge at my back as Lydia ushered Jen and I toward the casket. My head was spinning with was going on. Do I pose? Do I smile? Do I look at the casket or the camera? Do I take my sunglasses off? Should I cover my shoulders? What on earth am I doing here? This is not something I know. After our photo, other groups continued to be called up. Esther and her girls took their places at the casket for their photo. When they returned to where we were standing, Mercy buried her head in my side and began to sob. This was the hardest thing for me by far. My heart was breaking for this child grieving for her friend. I handed her my tissue, wiped away her tears, and held on to her tight. The pastor proceeded to give a very long and impassioned sermon in both Swahili and English about how we are all temporarily here on this earth. It made me think of one of my favorite quotes, "What is it you plan to do with your one wild, and precious life?". Wild and precious indeed.

After an hour or so, they carried the small casket to a hole that had been dug into the rocky earth. They placed the box down the hole and many people took handfuls of dirt to toss upon it as they started burying the girl. Many of the school children started to weep. Burying a child, this is not something I know. But grief and sorrow is universal, and saying goodbye to someone you love, before you are ready to...that I know. So I stood there, the hot African sun beating down, with a heavy heart, holding Grace and Mercy tightly to my side.

After Joan was laid to rest, we all headed back to the school. I walked along the road with Esther and her girls. I told her that she had a beautiful family and her sweet girls had captured my heart. I learned that she was the same age as me, and grew up an only child. She always knew she wanted a big family because she didn't like being the only one. She invited me to come to her home sometime and I told her, that I would love to, and maybe we could get together the next time I came to Nairobi.

Back at the school we sat in the shade with Lydia, and Esther and her girls. Grace and Mercy told me about their classes. I showed them pictures of my family on my phone. We captured the attention of several of the kids when we started watching a video I had of my three year old niece singing "Jesus Loves Me". We watched the video over and over. Mercy sat by my side and played with my hair. She picked up quickly how to take pictures on my phone and enjoyed herself doing that. The kids laughter started echoing around the schoolyard. Kids are so resilient and it filled my heart with joy to be around them, after such an emotional day.

Before I left, I told Grace, Mercy, and Faith to continue to do well in school and how much I enjoyed being with them today, even though it was a sad day. "I know you loved your friend." I said. "But God loved her more. And I believe, someday, you will see her again."

Nicole's Journey v2: It's a Dance

"It's a dance," Jen says to me as we leave the N.V.S. offices this afternoon.

Earlier that morning we had left our apartment to walk to the matatu [bus] stop. The woman we are staying with, Njeri has a modest apartment that butts right up to a slum. My window looks down upon the tin shacks and the hustle and bustle inside the cement walls. Our apartment is gated, and once outside we make our way down the ally that runs along the slum. We are the only white people around, as far as I can tell. We dodge some goats and chickens and make our way out to the main road, stoping briefly to talk to some sweet young little girl who has run up and grabbed our hands. Jen says something to her in Swahili and we continue on.

We had spent all afternoon meeting with her friend, Joe, who runs an organization placing volunteers who come to Kenya in work projects and places to stay. We sat in an office with Joe and discussed the work Jen was doing with the Simba Scholars Program as well as the Mwangatu artisan women that I do work with. We talked about road blocks we were running into, and discussing ideas to help these programs become sustainable. Somewhere between the chicken farm idea, and how to get a space at the local market place I got quiet. And a bit overwhelmed.

As we leave NVS, I try to explain to Jen how I've managed to crawl up in my head and untie every bundle of confidence I had stored there. "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here, Jen." I say as we walk. Jen asked me what I meant by that, so I try and explain myself better. I try to explain to her that as we are sitting at NVS with this Kenyan man, who is running this organization, and helping children get scholarships to school, I really began to wonder what the heck I was doing. What business does a seemingly privileged white girl from America think she's doing coming to Africa to do mission work. I start to question if what I'm doing is the very same thing that I don't like about many NGO's, giving handouts or committing a few weeks of my privileged life so I can go home and feel good about myself? I start to question my whiteness, and my Americanness, and I wonder is it helpful or a hindrance? I tell Jen that I just really want to be sure that what I am doing is really helpful to the people I am working with here, and not harmful in any way. But how can I know for sure? "You can't really know." says Jen. "Some of our intentions, as good as they may be, might cause a negative reaction, and some may be so impactful they are changing lives. It's all just a dance. And you pray, and you listen for God, and you head in the direction you are called. He will use you there." I thought about this over lunch, and made some peace with myself. I know my heart is in the right place. I know our approach is intentionally good, and it is not a handout. And maybe even my whiteness and Americanness are tools that I have been given to use.

We are here to help empower these women, and quite frankly that empowers us. Jen told me that one of the greatest benefits that come from the work that we do is that the children see their mothers working, and running a business, and becoming strong and empowered and self-sufficient and it has a very positive and strong impact on them. It made me think of the mission statement I had created for work a few months ago: "As a woman living in the 21st century I will live as though I have a thousand daughters, even though I have none, because every girl is my daughter and when she sees me, or engages with me, she is looking for how to live. So I will live, I will smile, I will laugh, I will speak, and I will pray as though her heart and soul depend on it." That brought about more peace as we finally made our way home that evening.

In the alley way back to our apartment, we ran into the same little girl from this morning. She grabbed on to my hand and walked with us for a moment. Several other kids were out at this point and they were all waving and saying "hello, how are you!" We smile at them and shout Jambo! as we make our way inside the gate. Upstairs in my room, I open the window that looks down upon the slum and I watch the people engage in their lives. Some are washing laundry, others are cooking or doing dishes. Several men are standing around talking. Kids and goats are running everywhere, kicking up dirt. The chatter and laugher drifts up through my window. Out in the common room Njeri is playing African music. It's nice and has a good beat. I'm enjoying it as I sit here to write. Njeri, asking us if we like the music, stops and looks at me for a moment and says to Jen, "Look, Nicole gets it! She is dancing."

Nicole's Journey: Game on...

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees.
I love that it takes you a half an hour to order a sandwich."

As the plane descends into Nairobi, I am wrapping up watching one of my all-time favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally.

"I love that little crease you get between your eyes when you're looking at me like I'm nuts.
I love that you're the last person I want to talk to at the end of the day."

The entirety of The Princess Bride aside, WHMS has one of the best dialogs of any movie. Ever. But I have to keep rewinding my favorite part because the captain keeps interrupting me with something in german.

"I love that when you figure out who it is that you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start right now."

The plane rides to Kenya were pretty uneventful. The first leg, to Switzerland, was 8 hours. Good movies. Good food. Row to myself. No small kids anywhere around me. The second leg, to Nairobi, was fine too. 7 hours. No small children. Good movies. Good food. Nice Somali lady who was kind to me as my body decided it was a great time to throw up my good food.

I spent the rest of the trip visiting with the nice Somali lady. She lives in Ottowa, has two younger brothers that play professional basketball in Europe, and this was her first time to Kenya. She was staying for a month. There was something very familiar about her that I liked...

Getting through the airport in Nairobi was fast and easy. Got my bag. Got my money exchanged. Went looking for someone named Francis who would be holding a sign with my name on it to take me to meet up with my friend Jen. NICOLE. I walked up to the tall guy with dreads and my name scribbled on cardboard and stuck my hand out and said, "Francis?" Francis, and his driver/friend Tony and I became fast friends. We chatted and learned about one another on the ride to where I would be staying. I can categorically say Francis may be the biggest flirt in Kenya. He texted Jen to let her know we were on our way and scolded her for not telling him I was so pretty. Then he proceeded to call me babycakes. Then I told him how old I was, and he stopped. ;-) We arrived at the place I will be staying while I'm here. I've gotten settled in, and am looking forward to starting my Kenyan adventure tomorrow. Game on.

Time to revivify

Has it really been 6 months since I got back to the US? As I prepare to head back to Kenya in a few weeks, I'm covered in excitement, slight anxiety, and much love and support from family and friends who are always behind me and the women during this journey.
Jordan Crouch and I are leaving on September 5th from Fort Wayne to Chicago to Brussels to Kigali to Nairobi. I'm hoping to make it all in one piece, and with some of my wits still about me after such a long trip :-) The plan is to hit the ground running as far as working with the Mwangatu Women. In speaking with Grace over the past couple of weeks, it seems that the zeal they were first experiencing with the novelty of the new business has worn off, and it has slowed a bit. This is normal. It happens. But our ultimate goal is to help them maintain that zeal throughout the duration of their business. We don't want them to rely on us being present for their business to succeed. But we also don't want to be gone so long at this point that they just give up. So we're heading out to charge them up again, and help them find different opportunities that will give them a long-term boost. Stand by for more on this as we journey forward! 
Grace and the Mwangatu Women are anxiously awaiting our arrival and preparing for more workshops, more training, and more good times ahead. 

I'll see you all on the other side!

I smile and say Thank You

Empowered? Ecstatic? Enthused? Definitely. I couldn’t say any less. But I can say a LOT more....

How blessed am I to have worked with such a great crew of volunteers and all of the CWoW staff over the past few months to kick off this amazing event last night?! At first, I wasn’t sure how it was all going to turn out, but after our first meeting with the event volunteers, I was totally on fire! As we all sat and brainstormed, the team had ideas left and right for how this event could play out. Eventually a lot of those ideas came to life at the History Center last night in downtown Fort Wayne, IN.

The runway was set and ready to go early in the day, and all the fashion outfits shortly followed. The silent auction was set up as the food was being displayed. Our Henna artist brought all her goodies for people to do tattoos throughout the night...an art that has its origins in parts of India, Pakistan & Africa. People started showing up, wine was poured, and then BOOM! The first belly dancer took the stage. Graceful, moving, steady. A true celebration of her art, her inner goddess. A celebration of Middle Eastern culture. 

TRJE Remix Djembe Drummers kicked off next, with West African beats that made me dance anywhere and everywhere I happened to be in the room. Accompanied by African song, they put on a spectacular presentation that was truly breathtaking.

Then came the models, to the beat of the drums, showcasing global outfits from around the world (Japan, Ghana, Tajikistan, Sierra Leone, and many more), some of which were live auctioned at the end of the night. Oh, the live auction... how much more CHEESE could there have been?! Nicole Moore and Hope Sheehan played that up in style with such tenacious energy! We didn’t have enough crackers for all that cheese!

Many times throughout the night, I stopped and caught myself with the hugest grin spread across my face at everything that was going on. The energy emanating from everyone there was astounding. This really was a celebration of cultures around the globe. It was an awareness of the beauty that exists in other areas of the world - the beauty that we don’t get to experience every day. It is in the celebration and the awareness of women around the world that we are able to stand in solidarity with them, and empower them. I am delighted to say that this was a success! I am also delighted that all of last night’s proceeds will go to benefit the Mwangatu Women in Kenya. It will be put towards the next mission trip there to continue working with them in sustainable business practices, training, and product development.

So I smile. And I say Thank You. Thank you to our fundraiser committee (Paula, Liz, Jordan, Clydia, Caroline). Thank you to the staff that helped put this on (Lorelei, Hope, Nicole, Kayla, Robin, Melissa). Thank you to all of the models and volunteers for the evening. And thank you to everyone who came and participated last night. You are all helping to change the world. You are all helping to empower women around the world, and especially in Kenya by being a part of this particular event.

Your moment of zen:

TRJE Remix

Inner Goddess

Silent Auction

The Girl Effect

Recently at our Creative Women of the World (CWOW) staff meeting we challenged ourselves to each come up with our own personal mission statement to present to the group.  I mulled over several ways to approach this and this is where I finally settled…

“I will live as though I have a thousand daughters, even though I have none, because every girl is my daughter and when she sees me, or engages with me, she's looking to me for how to live. So I will live, I will smile, I will laugh, I will speak, and I will pray as though her heart and soul depend on it.”

I had posted this as my status on facebook recently because for as long as I can remember, a piece of my heart has been dedicated to encouraging and cultivating self-esteem in girls.  I’ve always considered myself lucky.  Not just lucky, but blessed.  I grew up with a mother whom I never heard say a negative thing about herself.  I’ve always credited that to part of the reason why I have good self-esteem.  I don’t think we realize the impact it has on young girls for them to hear us put ourselves down.  I personally challenge myself to have an awareness of how I carry myself, treat myself, and talk about myself in the presence of others.  You never know what tiny impressionable ears are listening…

One of the things I love most about working at CWOW is the impact we have on women’s lives.  A meaningful and measurable impact.  Did you know that when you invest in a developing country, if you invest in its women and girls, 90% of your investment goes back to the community?!  That, to me, is a really empowering statistic!  A few years ago I saw this incredible little video called “The Girl Effect”. It really struck me. Hard. In the deep places of my heart.  Here is an excerpt from their website:


    Here are three solid reasons why we want you to invest your time, energy and capital in an adolescent girl…

1. Girls are agents of change

They play a crucial role in solving the most persistent development problems facing the world today. By investing in their economic potential through education and by delaying child marriage and teen pregnancy, issues such as HIV and Aids can be resolved and the cycle of poverty can be broken. To learn how a girl's success is the world's success, watch the girl effect film.

2. People assume girls are being reached

They're not. The reality is that children's programs focus on 0-5 year-olds, youth programs tend to focus on males and older groups, and women's programs don't typically capture adolescent girls. Programs that do reach girls rarely address the ones most at risk. To break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, programs must be designed for, and measure the impact on, girls. 

3. The cost of excluding girls is high

In India, adolescent pregnancy results in nearly $10 billion in lost potential income. In Uganda, 85% of girls leave school early, resulting in $10 billion in lost potential earnings. By delaying child marriage and early birth for one million girls, Bangladesh could potentially add $69 billion to the national income over these girls' lifetimes.

I encourage you to check out the website www.girleffect.org to learn about how we can impact our world for and through our girls.  It’s one of my favorite resources.  As I continue to read and learn about the oppression and violence against women around the world, especially in human trafficking situations, it stirs me.  It’s tremendously hard to read graphic descriptions of what is happening to our sisters.  It makes me almost sick sometimes.  It is fearful and discouraging.  But then I hear the rumble…it’s off in the distance, like a low growl, but I hear it.  It’s the sound of strength and empowerment.  And the more I read and learn, the more I hear and see women and girls all over the world fighting for change, and equality, and peace, and education, and safety, the louder that rumble gets…until it’s a roar loo loud to ignore.  I can’t ignore that I was wired with a fire inside me to do what I can, however small, for our mothers, and grandmothers.  For our sisters and our best friends.  And for our little girls.

I hope I have a daughter someday.  I hope that if I do, I can watch her grow strong, and smart, and confident, and creative. I hope that she challenges me to make this the best world it can be for her.  I hope that I will live and laugh and speak and pray in a way that encourages and empowers her.  But for now I will live as though I have a thousand daughters, even though I have none, because every girl is my daughter and when she sees me, or engages with me, she's looking to me for how to live. Thank you for that reminder, child.  I will do my best to make you proud.

*This blog post is dedicated to my beautiful sister-in-law, Anna, who is a shining example of a mother and sister and friend.

Why Do I Get Out of Bed for CWOW...

     Why do I get out of bed energized each day? Because I have learned to be awake to life. I've found a way to connect around the world that eases suffering by creating a practical approach to sustainable living for women in extreme need.This is why I wake up in the morning. I know my words paint a happy-trees and fluffy-clouds vision of the world, but my life has been a radical example of how someone sparked by vision can help to change the lives of women everywhere. So what can I tell you about this radical shift in my life? Why do I help Creative Women of the World? For many years, I worked tireless for more money, more opportunity, to be the best, to be number one in the corporate world. I went from $8.00 per hour to making north of six figures. I set out to achieve and I did, but when I got there I felt empty. Things, and money were not important anymore. 

     The sad part about my journey is that I told myself that if I had money, and awesome career achievement that somehow I would be happy. I always held on to the idea of more made me better. I remember snickering at the myriad of self-help gurus on PBS specials that fulfillment was more important than money. I would laugh and say, ‘Clearly they never lived in a trailer with the floor falling out in the middle of winter. I am sure that happiness is easier to feel from your beach house in Malibu.’ But I eventually discovered that it’s absolutely true! So I let go of all of it and trusted faith that the path would reveal itself to me. And it did. I met an amazing woman named Lorelei VerLee, and I helped her flush out a concept of self-sustaining business model for women around the world.

     Why do I choose to help women in extreme need and or extreme poverty? These individuals understand the glorious abundance of enough. I have met several of these women in Haiti, and not one of them said they wanted to make millions and dominate the global market in embroidery. They consistently say the following: we want access to clean water, we want access to education, we want good food, we want a house with a roof and a floor and possibly even windows, we want to see a doctor when we are sick, and we want to work for it all. They all understand the concept of enough, while it took me 15 years to discover that same truth, that my obsession with excess was not going to make me happy. So, of course I will help them. I remember thinking to myself, if I can go from $8 per hour to six figures, I can certainly help these women achieve their dream of having simply enough of the things we take for granted. I can use my skills to encourage them and coach them in basic business. That is why I get up in the morning.

Empowered

"WHY are sponsors going to support this?" Hope asked me, as I sat with a group of ladies at Creative Women of the World (CWoW) the other day, explaining that we're working with women in Kenya, and how we're going back again in the fall to work with them again. This is why everyone should support this, and come to our global celebration event, right?! As I'm trying to get people on board with what CWoW is doing for the world, as I'm trying to tell people why coming to our upcoming event is important, I missed the whole point of everything... where is the connection? People here don't really know who Grace is, or what truly happens in the lives of women when we give a part of our lives to help them develop theirs. So in an effort to connect my little piece of CWoW in Kenya with the rest of the world (or at least those of you who follow my blog), I've put together this short 6-minute video. You'll notice the Mwangatu Women are not included in the video, except for their hands. This is what they requested.


I'm heading back again in September, and some of the things that we'd like to accomplish on our next trip are:

• Bookkeeping help & ledger training.
• Quality & design improvement. (Still working with them on quality zippers & sewing.)
• We'd like to bring them sewing machines & at some point in the future give them sewing classes & training so they don't have to outsource that part of their work. This will decrease overall production costs.
• We'd like to research a place for them to set up an actual brick & mortar shop in the Nairobi area so they have a place they can go to work and call their own.
• We're also in the process of researching other types of products they can make to sell both in Kenya and US. If CWoW is going to be able to market and sell their products, we have to give them an idea of what's marketable in the US.
• Additionally, we spend time going to different businesses in Nairobi to see how we can collaborate with them in product development.
• Always encouraging, loving, and building relationships with them!

These are just a few of the goals we have for going forward with the Mwangatu Women in Kenya, and Grace Mwangi is the leader in all of it. We could not do it without her help, and we love being able to continue working with her. We also could not do this without all the continued support from our sponsors and friends! You all are so integral to the change being made in the world.

So this is WHY we do what we do. For Grace. For the Mwangatu Women. For every woman around the world who is fighting so hard to just survive.

Tune into Indiana News Center for another look inside Empower Her World: A Celebration of Fashion & Culture and why it's so important for you to be a part of it!

Finding My Answer

While I was a sophomore in college, I started learning about human trafficking. I went to Thailand on a missions trip that summer. My group planned on visiting an organization called NightLight which works to help women escape the brothels and red light district. On our way, we got lost and ended up in the center of the red light district. It was daytime and people were starting to set up for the evening. It was not an easy walk down that road.

As we went, we looked around and what we saw broke our hearts. What were once windows, were now barred or blocked by bricks so that the individuals inside couldn't see out. We prayed as we walked the rest of the way. It was all we could do to keep from crying, although some of us still did.

We eventually got to NightLight, but I will never forget that walk. I have always wanted to do something... but never knew what I could do. The past few years have been hard, knowing that I wanted to help but not how. 

When Nicole approached me about working at Creative Women of the World, I knew I wanted it. I finally have an answer to all the years of wondering. And I'm looking forward to tomorrow and all the women that we get to help here at CWoW!

What is Poverty?

Even though I work with artisans in third world countries where people by most standards are defined as poor, I have seen just as much poverty in the States as I have around the world. It's because  I've learned that poverty is not defined by the amount of money in your pocket. You can be poor whether you live on a dollar a day or $100 a day or even $1000 a day.

Poverty is a mindset that can enslave you and to tell you the truth I have personally fallen into its trap. I was fortunate to learn the joy of living in abundance at an early age. In college, I was down to my last dollar and knew I needed to do laundry that in that era would cost a dollar but I wanted to give an offering in church so I gave the whole amount anyway. Miraculously, the next day an encouragement card came in the mail from an distant acquaintance and inside was a crisp one dollar bill!  I found the reality of abundance when my tangible assets were depleted but there were other times when my account was full yet I lived in poverty because I was stuck in limiting thinking.

Poverty-thinking is when I worry about not having enough. That kind of fear leads me to either vigorously hoard what I already have or to live at a hectic pace trying to accumulate more. It leads me to believe that working harder will prevent the panic of lack.

Poverty-thinking fosters jealousy. It believes that if someone appears to have more than I, that somehow my

Nicole

chances of having enough are diminished.   

Sometimes it even resents the success of another and expects a portion of their profits. Nicole, from Haiti, is an artisan I really respect. She is a real entrepreneur and has started several successful small businesses including a bread bakery using solar ovens. But as soon as she starts making money her neighbors start lining up with their hands extended demanding their share!  If she doesn't, they can make life miserable for her.

Poverty-thinking believes resources are in such limited supply that if I don't grab my fair share before someone else does, I will lose out. That mindset makes me stop seeing others as a potential friend or partner but rather as an obstacle to be stepped over.

But poverty thinking may not always be wrapped in obvious negativity. Even an altruistic point of view can succumb. There have been times when I was offered gifts that I KNEW represented a huge sacrifice on the part of the giver; like the chicken lovingly sacrificed for my lunch in Kenya by a family who had little more than a mud hut and heart full of gratitude. Or the sugary cake

Kenyan Cake

baked over a charcoal oven by artisans who pooled their pennies because they were grateful for their training. Everything in me resisted accepting their gifts because I knew they had so little and I didn't want their resources to be depleted. I believed if they gave to me, their lives would be made even more challenging, maybe even unsafe.

On my last trip to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, I contracted Dengue Fever for a second time. It is caused by a particularly virulent mosquito whose bite causes high fevers, joint pain and potential death since there is no treatment for it. I know the day I got bit. I almost know the exact moment. It was late afternoon and it had been a long hot day. I had taken a bottle of insect repellent on the trip but ran out earlier in the week because you need to cover every part of your body night and day. I thought about asking one of the team members if I could borrow some of theirs but was afraid they might run out and then both of us would be susceptible so I opted not to. On the surface that might sound like a kind thing to do but in reality it was based on a mindset of poverty. I believed that there couldn't possibly be enough for all of us so I quietly "sacrificed". If I had asked I would have found out that there was plenty of repellent available for all of us. I just didn't know it was still packed away in their suitcases waiting for the need. Now the doctor has advised me never to go back to Haiti because contracting it a third time would likely be fatal. My belief in scarcity when there was really enough actually created  more limitations than I ever imagined.

What if we all were to give up living in poverty and stepped  into the glorious abundance of enough?  

What if we truly believed there was enough for everyone to have their needs met?  

What if we could sincerely rejoice in the successes of others and encourage them to flourish even further?  

What if we gave up the hungry grabbing for more and instead rested in knowing that today would be filled with enough?  

What if we could freely express a legitimate need and know that the satisfaction of that need would come on precisely the right day in exactly the right way so that all of could find joy?  

What if we knew that none of us needed to stay stuck in poverty  but could freely move into abundance?  

We could change the world!