This month our ladies had their first Empowerment seminar. We invited CHE (Community Health Evangelism) to come and do a two-day seminar on Micro-Enterprise. The women were taught about Kingdom Business, doing business God's way and also how to be good stewards with their personal finances. So many Africans are generous with their funds to a fault and often leave themselves with nothing when their needs arise. CHE went over basic training of Kingdom Business such as, producing a quality product (not cutting corners for financial gain), Doing business honestly (not cheating customers), Managing their time better, how to create a business plan and how to look towards the future rather then just getting through that day. We also brought in another empowerment group, SEW to join us and learn this important knowledge that we feel will improve their future and the future of their families. The women were so excited that we are working on a follow up program that will extend their business knowledge and begin planting seeds for them to start their own businesses in the future.

This is Dorcus Bakari she is 39 years old and works with us at our "Women to Work" project, training to make our beautiful sandals. Dorcus is a mother of 3 daughters and a widow of 8 years. After her husband died she was chased off her property by his relatives and had to flee from her village and move to Arusha with no help and no family connections. In Dorcus' tribe women are not allowed to inherit property from their fathers so her 3 daughters had no claim to the land. Most of the time it doesn't even matter if the children are males, if the husband dies then his relatives will fight for the land, threatening, and bullying until they steal it. They almost always cheat the widows out of what is rightfully theirs. Having no advocates to fight for them the women are cast out from the village and left to survive on their own. These widows with no education, no job opportunities and children to provide for, have very few options. Shining a Light is changing that and providing them a way to not only earn a living but exposing them to education, opportunities and skills that they can use to care for themselves and their families.

Dorcus worked as a housegirl for many years struggling to keep her children in school and provide them with an opportunity she never had, an education. She came to work with us not only to earn a decent living but to learn the skills she will need to start her own business. She would like to learn how to make clothing and open a store where she can sell her creations. Shining a Light will support Dorcus in her education and her dream of owning her own store! Please help us to support Dorcus and her goals at www.shiningalight.org

Our training of the women continues to grow. After discovering that they are naturals at beading we moved on to the leather part of the sandals. This is a much trickier part of making the sandal and is usually done by th men in this country. Our women were eager to learn and not just how to make a sandal sole but how to craft leather in general. We realized that there is much more to working with leather and therefore hired an expert to come in and teach the women all about working with this material. So now after their training they will not only know how to make a sandal sole but how to craft many items out of leather, how to sew it and how to finish it. Stay tuned to the many products that will come your way after this training is completed. Are you excited?
WE ARE!
www.shiningalight.org

This blog entry is to honer a very dear a special man. Dr. Linus was a friend and mentor to all of us at Shining a Light. He passed way last Friday due to heart problems and he will be deeply missed. What was remarkable about him was the impact he had on all of us at Shining a Light here is Tanzania. Although I only worked with him for a year he had a way of making you feel like part of his family and that you have always been apart of his life. He was so kind and gentle while working with our women. As the head of our empowerment program he counseled, guided and fathered all of the women each in a special and unique way. The women only new him for about 3 months but their loss is deep and their relationship with him was strong. This man truly was a Shining Light to this village and this project. He will be greatly missed. This picture was taken a few months ago at his baptizing. I believe he had faith in God for most of his life but made the commitment to follow Jesus recently and wanted to share that commitment with the world by being baptized. I am so very grateful to have been there has a wittiness and to have known such a lovely man.

I would like you to meet Digna. She is 28 years old and her story will break your heart. Digna was an orphan by 6 years of age when she went to live with her grandmother. Her grandmother was contantly fighting with her other relatives over the care of Digna so much so that the relatives ended up setting the grandmother's house on fire with her in it. Once she lost her grandmother Digna had to go work as a house girl at the age of 11. This brought on a whole new set of problems since Digna was abused, starved and basically worked as a slave for her employer. As Digna was often beaten daily she decided to run away from her job as a house girl. With no where to go she ran into an older man who kidnapped her and forced himself on her and to live and work for him. Over the next 6 years Digna had 3 children by this man, was abused daily and humiliated (he would beat her and pour urine on her) in front of her friends and family. But God had different plans for Digna. The man she lived with was arrested for beating her after that she never saw him again. She moved into our village where she heard about our project and was hired after hearing her story and seeing her dedication. Digna received Jesus at one of our first Bible Studies. She believes God has saved her for a purpose and she knows that her future is secure in Him. She loves the work and the friends she has made working with the Shining a Light "Women to Work" project. She has her own room where her and her children live and all 3 are attending school. Digna can continue to work with us and providing for her children as long as we sell our sandals. Please order a pair of sandals today at www.shiningalight.org to ensure Digna has a safe and secure future.

This is Tumaini. She is 24 years old and a single mother struggling to provide for her 4 year old daughter who goes to our preschool. Her daughter's name is Sharon. When Tumaini met Sharon's father he made many promises to her. She was 19 at the time and could not afford to go to school. He promised her he would pay for her education and take care of her. As soon as he found out she was pregnant he disappeared leaving Tumaini to explain her situation to her parents alone. They rejected her instantly and disowned her as their daughter. Ever since Tumaini has been battling her severe conditions to provide for herself and her daughter. But now Tumaini has hope! That is what Tumaini means in Swahili (Hope). She works with Shining a Light to make our handmade beaded sandals that we sell through our website at www.shiningalight.org. She love the work, the environmemt, and has been enjoying our empowerment classes knowing that she is improving her life and her daughter's life. Through the sale of our beautiful sandals you can help Tumaini and many other women just like her.

Jennifer VanderGalien
jennifer@shiningalight.org
www.shiningalight.org

Well it's summer and time to buy some sandals. Shining a Light has some amazing, beautiful, handmade sandals for sale at www.shiningalight.org. The best thing about these sandals???? Is that they help empower women and their children right here in Arusha, Tanzania. Shining a Light has employed 15 women who have been struggling all their lives to make these sandals and sell them to all of you. So not only do you get a pair of fabulous sandals but you are also helping to keep these women employed. At our workshop we not only make these sandals but we provide empowerment classes on how to budget their money and save so they can create a better future for their children. We teach health care (living with HIV), do Bible Studies (we already have had one women give her life to Christ) and other classes that will benefit them along with a fair salary. The purchase of a pair of sandals also goes to support our local preschool where many of their children go. Employment & Education is our focus and we believe that through these two projects we can make a difference in the entire community. So PLEASE got to www.shiningalight.org and help support us! We cannot do this without you!

God Bless,
Jennifer

The children started school on Monday and even though our desks and chairs were not ready they were so excited to be in their new building. It's the rainy season here in Tanzania and they showed up late, muddy and chilled to the bone but we were there to greet them and warm them up with some singing. We also had a few waiting out by the gate because they wanted to join our school. One little girl's father told me that she said there was "no chance" of her going home that she wanted and was going to be one of our students. Unfortunately we had to turn her away because we are well above capacity but we are working on plans to enlarge the school creating more space for needy children. We have also adopted a tuition plan that we feel will help the parents take ownership and pride in our school. By charging a small fee for each child to attend the school the community and it's families will begin to take more of an interest in the school and help us make it a success! If you're interested in helping us by supporting our school please go to www.shiningalight.org and make a donation or purchase a pair of our beautiful handmade sandals made by the mother's of our students today.

The Workshop Has Started

On Monday April 18th, 2011 Shining a Light's "Women to Work" project finally started. After a year of building relationships, raising funds and developing the best empowerment program we could, we have finally begun. The women come to our workshop each and everyday at 8:00 am to learn a skill that we believe will provide an income that will give them and their families a safe and secure future. Shining a Light is also empowering these women with educational classes on Health Care, Money Management, and weekly Bible Studies. We are very excited about the future of this program and the women who are participating. Some of the women have never had the independence of a job or an opportunity to pull themselves out of the extreme poverty that they find themselves in. Shining a Light is grateful to provide this to them. Other classes will be provided as well as we have discovered that many of these women have no education and have never learned to read or write. Please join with us in prayer that we would be able to breakdown culturally barriers, language barriers and every obstacle that we come across that would hinder our advancement in this project. Follow us on this blog as we introduce these women to you and make them personal so that you can share with us the joy of empowering them.

Thank You & God Bless
www.shiningalight.org

It's been so very long since i last blogged so if anyone is still following me out there i am very sorry. With all of the different social networks out there it's hard to keep up but i would like to reassure anyone that is still interested I am now back to blogging. So many exciting things are happening with me and more importantly Shining a Light! God has blessed me with an opportunity to help empower the women and children of Arusha, Tanzania. Sometimes i am not sure why He has called me to this place that requires patience and for women to display a meek and mild spirit but one thing i am sure of is the CALL to be here. His provision for people with the same heart for these women and children and the knowledge and wisdom of the culture and the vision to help them has confirmed that Shining a Light, our nonprofit (NGO in Tanzania) is on the right path to accomplishing HIS will. We have two amazing Boards both here in Tanzania and in America filled with people with a heart for Him.

I have been so blessed working here and seeing His hand in so many ways. This blog will continue to track those amazing encounters when He shows up and turns bad to good, weak to strong and impossible to possible. Please continue to follow us as we change lives by introducing people to their personal savior and watch how this transformation empowers them.

Shining a Light is a nonprofit created to empower women and children through employment, education and spiritual enrichment. Find out how you can help us empower these women and children at www.shiningalight.org

In His name,
Jennifer