Six Passport Stamps and One Thousand Stories

This last winter and spring has been a wild schedule of traveling to five countries within four months but rather than feeling depleted, Nicole and I are feeling energized from each of our experiences.  Every story adds to our sense of purpose and mission at CWOW—training women who are rising out of poverty, human trafficking or disaster with the power of creative business development!

Nicole and I were both able to work in Kenya with Grace and the Mwangatu women as well as some of the other artisan groups in Nairobi.  Grace is a beautiful example of servant leadership as she keeps looking for ways to empower the women with whom she works.  We invite you to partner with us so her work can grow.  

In Uganda Grace and I visited Josephine’s work with unwed teenage mothers at The Fortress.  It was exhilarating to see the young girls learn a new skill of soap making which would prepare them for setting up their own businesses when they moved back to their villages.  That ability to support themselves and their child gives them self esteem and independence. 

In India we had the privilege of visiting the artisans with whom Handmade Expressions, one of our key vendors, work.   Most of them are located in the colorful Rajasthan area of India.   We got to participate in the ancient tradition of block printing, observed wood carving and weaving in villages north of Delhi and were mesmerized by the delicate technique of reverse applique created by the artisans in the desert near the Pakistani border.  We are proud to partner with Handmade Expressions as they support an Indian non profit organization that makes sure the skilled people they work with get consistent orders as well as training and services for practical needs. 

We had a stopover in Japan on our way to Indonesia so we tried to make the most of the long weekend.  I wanted to take Nicole to visit the Nozomi workshop in Ishinomaki where I had previously consulted but it turned out to be a huge national holiday so it didn’t work out.  But we do keep contact with the Nozomi team and were able to get a new shipment of beautiful pottery shard jewelry created by the tsunami survivors.  It is selling fast as it always does.  The women are SO encouraged by your support!

Indonesia turned out to be even more than we could have ever imagined!  We at CWOW were honored to be invited by Yayasan Pondok Kasih to do business training and product development for both Muslim and Christian participants in YPK’s training center and out in a village.   At the end of the training, many of the 30+ participants expressed through tears and warm embraces that this was JUST what they needed to have the courage to step into creative thinking and sustainable businesses.  They continue to meet regularly for mutual encouragement and accountability. 

While in Surabaya we also spoke at rallies for transgendered persons using the medium of live art, found beauty in the faces of the mentally ill living in an institution, created jewelry with women rescued from human trafficking, held babies at YPK’s spotlessly clean orphanage and were inspired by a strong group of women praying with vigor for their city, their country and the world.   We gave AND received transforming love!  YPK is an Indonesian foundation that has triggered a beautiful peace movement across Indonesia promoting understanding and mutual respect while advocating for the poor and marginalized.  Mama Hana, the founder, is totally focused on offering love wherever she goes and to whomever she meets.  Her dedicated staff has also caught the vision and allows God to work through them in astounding ways!  We are entering into a more long-term relationship with YPK and look forward to the creative energy ahead!

All of this is made possible through your tax deductible donations to our mission fund or by your purchase of products in our CWOW and LOTUS stores.  The mission fund and store operating funds are NOT co-mingled so you can rest assured that your donation will go to the mission of training and artisan development alone.  Thank you for changing the world through the power of creativity!

Lorelei

Donations are accepted online at GoCWOW.org.  or by mailing a check to:

CWOW (Creative Women of the World)

125 West Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN 46825

"Thank you Hope!"

You never know who you may randomly meet someday who will forever change your life.  I met her in a Japanese restaurant a few years back and she quickly became a close friend and consultant to Creative Women of the World.  Hope Sheehan has a lot of gifts and she generously shared them with our staff ever since she arrived as a volunteer and part time consultant at CWOW in November of 2011.  In those early days she and I strategized our plans as we laid the foundation for a strong organization that would benefit women around the world.  We both cared deeply for women who felt trapped by poverty or human trafficking and needed to know they had options that would lead to freedom.   The benefit of business training that CWOW offered could dramatically change their lives so our CWOW staff wanted to give them our best! 

Hope was finishing her degree in business when she arrived and had found a lot of exciting new ideas she was eager to try at CWOW.  She enthusiastically led two team trips to Haiti.  On one she offered business process training and on the other she took a group of doulas and birthing assistants.  All of them had life impacting experiences there.  Back at the Fort Wayne office her training in 5S organization helped her show us how to make our systems more effective and streamlined.  Her training in mind mapping was a method that really resonated with the way my mind works.  I could see the big picture and see more clearly what the next action steps needed to be in any given area of our organization to move us closer to our goals.  She had a way of seeing potential obstacles that could derail us if we didn't pay attention but fortunately we did and they didn't!

Over the last two and a half years we have laughed together, cried together, seen wildly successful dreams come true and learned hard lessons from things that didn’t work out as we wished.  But in all of it, Hope carried a deep passion for making a difference in the lives of those all around her.  Her greatest joy is in seeing someone succeed that she has mentored.  Now as Hope moves on to new areas of consulting and working I know she will continue to take joy in watching the success of CWOW continue to flourish.  I know her heart will smile with pride remembering the part she played in making it happen!

Thank you Hope!  You WILL be missed!