I don’t know how to adequately express the impact that learning to make beautiful things with one’s hands can have in the lives of these young women.
Who knew cardstock, scissors, glue, and yarn could have such life-changing impact?!
If you have been following our communications over the last two years, you have probably read about Josiane and the work she is doing with a group of young women. Part of her program with these girls is teaching them crafts like crochet and paper flowers. I don’t know how to adequately express the impact that learning to make beautiful things with one’s hands can have in the lives of these young women. Most of them have grown up believing that they have very little, if anything, of value to offer the world around them. They have never been taught that they have intrinsic value as God’s beloved creations. These emotionally vulnerable girls are often taken in by lies and false promises, and many end up pregnant before they finish high school.
In Josiane’s program, these girls learn through Bible studies who God is and who they are as His creations. They are then taught practical skills like cooking, baking, embroidery, and as mentioned above, paper flowers and crochet. Learning these skills not only gives them the confidence of knowing they are capable of creating valuable things with their hands, but it also teaches them soft skills like attention to detail, creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, perseverance, and the value of a job well done.
For Josiane to continue these kinds of trainings, however, she needs some basic materials like cardstock, scissors, glue, and yarn. Believe it or not, these simple items are extremely difficult to acquire on the Plateau. But, they can make a world of difference to the young ladies in Josiane's program. It is one of the ways we bring “change every day.”
It has been so fun to see some of these difference-making items arriving to fill the box (truck)! There is still room for more! We need to stock up a good supply for the coming year. Purchasing these materials from our “Change Every Day” Amazon wishlist will keep these girls learning.