"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -Anais Nin
In November, Jennifer began praying for the Lord to bless Shining a Light with more individuals who could share in the vision and passion of the organization. She knew that in order to grow, we needed supporters who could network and spread the message.
Her prayers were answered at the beginning of December, when a friend introduced Jennifer to Marcia Gates. Marcia comes to us from years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She wanted to experience the program firsthand before she began helping in the States. Marcia was five months pregnant at the time and wanted to travel with a friend. She thought of Angela Sommers, a social worker who volunteered in Tanzania back in 2011. The ladies met with Jennifer to learn more about the organization, while also attending a speaking engagement. A week later, Marcia and Angie had both booked a flight to Arusha and couldn't wait to start collaborating with SAL.
Pictured above: Marcia Gates (left) and Angela Sommers (right)
During their stay, the ladies had the opportunity to engage with the women involved in the program. They interviewed several of the women to better understand their culture along with the barriers they face in this community. Marcia and Angie also got the chance to sit with women and learn the techniques and construction of the sandals. They also got to experience the sewing class and were able to help with the launch of our new product: Wrap skirts!
Marcia and Angie spent their last week conducting home visits with a couple graduates. The ladies wanted to see the program come full circle. Towards the end of the trip, Angie decided that she would like to extend her trip to offer support in gathering the graduate data. Angie plans to stay another three weeks to meet with each graduate at their home to see the progress of our program. She will be collecting information on their current business, family life, and overall satisfaction with the program. We will use this data to help plan for our future classes and how we can better mentor our graduates leaving the program.
Shining a Light is excited to announce that our current class will be graduating this spring. The women are currently finalizing their business plans and are excited to share that with all of you. We are also in the process of welcoming our new student for 2015. Applications have been distributed and we plan to conduct several interviews before starting our next group.
The organization is off to a great start in our new year. We look forward to see the progress and growth that will take place this year. Jennifer VanderGalien will be returning to the states towards the end of March. We are currently booking speaking engagements and sandal parties for the Spring. Please contact Tiffany to set up the dates for those events. Her contact information is available through our website at www.shiningalight.org.
Blessings to you for another year of empowering women one sole at time.
