Balloon Love!

The kids in my village are nuts about balloons. I mean what kid isn't? Any party I've ever been to instantly kicks up a notch when balloons are brought into the mix. Well kids in Africa are no different, except for the fact that most of them have never even seen one. Any visitors that come and ask what to bring I automatically say balloons. They are cheap, easy to carry and always ALWAYS are a hit. Last weekend I had a crew of kids at my gate, actually, every day I have them at my gate. They are relentless. They knock and knock and know until I finally can't take it anymore and must go see what is so urgent. Nothing ever really is, they are just bored and want some "Jen Fun". So I came to the gate prepared, a bag of balloons!!!What followed was a frenzy of jumps, air punches, high kicks and over excited shouts. They came from all sides, kids I have never seen before, to get their own balloon. The fun lasted hours and the shouts didn't die down until late into the afternoon. They stopped knocking and I was able to get back to whatever it was I was doing. But the joy and excitement that they experienced over one tiny balloon made me envious of simple pleasures and made me want to answer those knocks  at my gate.

Jennifer
www.shiningalight.org

AFRICAN SANDALS

These sandals are gorgeous, right! But what you don't know is that they are empowering women in Tanzania. Women in Tanzania struggle from the very beginning of their lives. They don't get any choice in how their life will go and which path they will take. Money for education is scarce and usually goes to educate the males in their family. They hardly ever get to choose their husband or even how many kids they will have. On top of all of this their husbands do not respect them, they often abandon them and if they do stick around demand that the woman, with no education, training or resources provide for the home and the children. Shining a Light is rescuing these women through these beautiful African Sandals. We are teaching them the skill of beading, providing business training and money management and teaching them in the area of literacy. We then help them enter the market place so that they may earn a living and provide for their children. Through the purchase of these African Sandals at www.shiningalight.org you can participate in helping us transform the lives of women in Tanzania.



 Go to www.shiningalight.org to purchase a pair of these gorgeous African Sandals Empowering women TODAY!

Monika's Story of Hope

Monika is sweet and quiet. She comes to work every day with her head down and ready to give it her all. She's not the fastest beader and her quality is not the best, she might not even like to bead. But she does it! Every day! She knows that this is her opportunity to provide for her children. She is 30 years old and has two children. She has been married for seven years but hasn't seen her husband in two. this is her life. No one cares about her, know one has invested in her, protects her or listens to her. This is a common story here in Tanzania. She has no self confidence and thinks very low of herself. Her only goal in life is to send her children to school and make sure their stomaches are full. This WAS her story.

Thanks to Shining a Light Monika is making a new story for herself. She is working hard to learn a skill, save some money and learn about business. She is trying to imagine herself running a business some day even though it's beyond her imagination. Building her confidence through her work and knowing she has money in the bank will help her focus on a dream she has never dared to dream, independence, security and safety. her children will see her new found confidence and become more confident themselves. Her children will also know there is money for education and work hard to reach the next level. All of this will come from her training at Shining a Light. A life of struggle for a life of hope. 

We are changing lives and you are helping! By sharing this blog, spreading the word and buying our sandals at www.shiningalight.org women like Monika are being empowered and changing their future.