Recently six of our child sponsorship program moms began classes on how to design new clothing. Through a project funded by Exodus, Hope In View’s Czechoslovakian partner, they are learning how to create new patterns and flesh them out into stylish and saleable goods.
Many of the moms of our sponsored children were beggars, widowed or abandoned by their husbands because of their HIV status. When their children got sponsored and their families began getting enough to eat, their lives began to stabilize. Key to this was their required participation in small groups, through which they experienced, sometimes for the first time ever, love, acceptance, and spiritual nurture. In addition, for the last 1 1/2 years they have been learning in these groups how to save money, take and repay small loans from the pool, manage their finances, and start small businesses. A good number have earned income by embroidering traditional Ethiopian garb. For these in particular, sewing is a natural next step toward becoming self-sustaining. Thanks to our Czechoslovakian friends for jump-starting their new careers!
