And
Dress a Girl Around the World!
What a great year this has been!
As we wind down year two of Dress a Girl Around the World we are excited to report we have delivered over 60,000 dresses to girls in 56 countries. We did 12,000 in 2010 and 48,000 in 2011! Thank YOU for being an important part of this project and for making this happen. I wonder if we could deliver 100,000 in 2012 . . . Together I definitely think we can!
Jennie O’Hara wrote and illustrated a book for Dress a Girl –The Pillowcase Party-you can find it on our Dress a Girl web store along with it’s matching puzzle and dress a girl balloons for your princess parties! http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/apps/webstore/
We held our inaugural princess party in Uganda! It was a blast. We are also planning to hold a “Prince & Princess Party” in April. We will hold it in an enclosed area at night with glow sticks and lots of other fun things!
We not only delivered dresses but we raised money for our first well in Uganda. The well is being drilled as I write! Now we will be providing fresh water to a village freeing up women and girls from walking long hours in search of water that often is not fit to drink. Girls will now have time to attend school and women will have time to work on their businesses!
If you would like to take part in the well dedication in Uganda—we are going in April and will be holding a party at the well! We’ll have balloons, pink lemon aid and of course give out pink dresses to the girls and red shorts to the boys. Contact Kristin@h4ki.org for more information.
Hope 4 Women International provided funds through a generous donor for a sewing center in Rwanda! Also to be dedicated in April as our team travels from Uganda to Rwanda.
Thirty-nine women graduated from our sponsorship program in Uganda. For $36 a month and a one-year commitment a woman is enrolled in our sponsorship program where she is taught English, Reading, Math & Writing skills. She also attends a weekly Mission Character class to learn the Biblical principals of operating a business. Along the way she receives start-up capital and is mentored in her new business. At the end of one year she graduates as a businesswoman! Our friend Marj makes pink graduation caps for them to wear.
Currently—thanks to you there are 85 women enrolled in our sponsorship program! Thirty of them are scheduled to graduate in April 2012!
I recently sponsored Jane. She is a widow living with HIV virus. She has worked as a counselor for an AIDS support organization and also counseled women in domestic violence. Now as a widow she has been chased from her home--ridiculed and abused by her husband's family--the sewing machine she was using for income generating was stolen. She is now with us and has been training our sponsored women in Mission Character classes. So I was thinking since she already meets with the women once a week –if she is willing we could set her up as a counselor for our women. I did sit in on her mission character class when I was there and was impressed! The classroom was filled with our sponsored women and they were all actively involved.
Of course we are buying her a new sewing machine so she can continue with her skills and build an income generating business and with our English, Math, etc classes there is no end to what Jane can do!!
I’m so jazzed about being a part of Jane’s future! If you would like to change the life of a woman email Lisa@h4wi.org and she will give you all the details and set you up!
Our Victory Gardens are flourishing in Uganda. The Diamond Unique Co-op just harvested and sold several watermelon crops. They are growing cantaloupe for the first time. Businesses and restaurants seek after their unique vegetables. They are experimenting with raising pigs and poultry. They will add brick oven making and tree harvesting in 2012—the ovens will be available for sale –we can purchase them for our sponsored women and hopefully get several of our women involved in making the ovens.
The Co-op also invested in two new motorcycles –one for transporting the members to train other garden projects and to conduct business. The other is used as a “taxi” to generate income and to pay back the loan on the motorcycles. They are diligent in the repayment and we are pleased with all the progress they are making. As they reach out and train throughout Uganda our dream is for Uganda to feed itselfJ
On the home front:
Our Tempe gathering place/warehouse will begin hosting workdays! On Friday, January 13th we will hold a volunteer meeting/luncheon and work in the afternoon. On Monday, January 16th—Martin Luther King Day—we will make britches for boys!
June 21-23rd is our First Annual Hope 4 Women International/Dress a Girl Around the World Convention to be held in the Phoenix area. It’s going to be great! Speakers, break out sessions/demonstrations, venders and LOTS of fun! Details to follow!
Rachel is available for speaking: To book Rachel at your event, church or women’s group contact Rachel@h4wi.org
Coming in January: I Dressed a Girl Around the World bumper stickers!
Thank you for making all of this possible! If you would like to donate to our causes please follow this link and click on the Dress a Girl or Hope 4 women boxJ http://www.hope4kidsinternational.org/donation-cart
I'm looking forward to another year of partnership with each of you! Let's make 2012 the year of excellence! I know God has great things in store for each of us!
