FashionABLE

Yesterday, I blogged about Ellita-Women at Risk (WAR), an organization founded by an Ethiopian woman (Serawit “Cherry” Teketel) to help women in Addis Ababa who have been forced into prostitution while trying to escape poverty escape from prostitution and rise out of poverty.

Barrett Ward (another Ethiopia adoptive parent) (you may recognize his name as the founder of Mocha Club) learned about WAR while living in Ethiopia for a year. After seeing how effective the program was, he learned that one of their biggest challenges was finding employers willing to partner with them to train and employ the women. FashionABLE was created for that purpose. At FashionABLE’s headquarters in Addis, women are trained to weave and dye scarves which are sold on-line and at upscale retailers. The scarves are high-quality and gorgeous! The proceeds compensate the women who make the scarves, providing income sufficient to support them and send their children to school, and also provide funding for WAR’s programs.



Sustainable ministries in developing countries not only focus on meeting the spiritual needs of the people they serve—giving them hope through Jesus—but also have the goal of helping the people they serve rise out of poverty (not by handouts, but through education, job training and creation, microfinance, business development, etc..).  This holistic approach enables those people to become self-supporting, to help developing their country's economy and give back to the ministry, which in turn enables the ministry to grow to serve others. An understanding of the challenges and complexities of poverty and a willingness to come alongside and empower people to rise above it many times is the very thing that opens doors to relationship and open hearts to the gospel message.  I would highly recommend the book When Helping Hurts for a great explanation of this concept and the importance of this type of approach.     

 

I was excited that Erica was able to include FashionABLE on our trip itinerary for several reasons. I loved that we would be able to roll our sleeves up and dye thread with the women—not because the women needed our help to do their jobs—they are such hard workers!—but to have an excuse to connect with them, love on them and encourage them. I also wanted to learn more about FashionABLE’s business model and of course, I looked forward to shopping in their showroom—I love jazzing up tees and sweaters with fun scarves!

Thank you, Suzy, for this image!

Before our trip, Erica contacted FashionABLE to see if they had any specific needs we might be able to help with. We were advised that most of the women were in need of new shoes, so we gathered shoes of all styles and sizes to donate on our visit. We toted them to the FashionABLE headquarters and arranged them all by size and style along the floor of the scarf stock room.

Thank you, Suzy, for this image! 

I was so impressed by the way the shoe distribution was handled and by how diligent and creative Ian and Brittany Bentley (the Bentleys are another AGCI adoptive family currently living in Addis and working for FashionABLE) were in applying sustainable principles even outside of the actual scarf business.

Ian and Brittany with their sweet Selah!

I love the way Brittany described it in her blog:

After meeting with the two managers at the office, we decided that these “free” shoes shouldn’t be just given out to the women. Knowing that shoes like this in Addis would go for between 1000-2000 Birr ($50-$100USD), this would have been a huge gift for these women. We imagined how thankful they would be to be given them, but we also want what’s absolutely best for each one of these women. With this in mind it has always encouraged us to put more thought into everything and not just take the most obvious or easiest solution. Today, we decied to not hand the shoes out for free but charge a nominal price for the shoes. Since the shoes were donated, we wanted to use the funds from the sale of the shoes in the best way. So we decided to take the fund and donate it to Woman at Risk (WAR), the rehabilitation program that most of the woman currently working at FashionABLE came from. So let me explain how incredible this worked out. We told the women that we had some beautiful new shoes that they could purchase in our stock room. At first they looked at us with a bit of confusion, because they might have expected us to just give them away but then we continued. We told them that we were selling them for about 100-200 birr ($5-$10USD) and that rather than keeping the money we would be donating it to help other women struggling in prostitution. So not only are the women at FashionABLE able to purchase their own shoes, but they are able to help other women who are in the position they once were in. We also gave them an opportunity to pay off the shoes over four months so that it would allow them to pay for it without as much of an up-front cost. It’s hard to articulate in writing, but every woman left today with a new pair of shoes that they were ABLE to pay for out of their own hard work while knowing that they were ABLE to help the other women through the same rehabilitation program they were helped through. This is sustainable development, and it’s allowing women to have the dignity and confidence that God has designed us to have no matter what culture of continent we come from or live on.

Thank you, Suzy, for this image!

Pretty awesome, huh?
        
For more information about FashionABLE (and if you’re looking for gift ideas for my birthday or Christmas (smile)), you can visit their website HERE.

Ellilta-Women at Risk

My friends saw her on a drive through Addis. She looked about 12 years old. Dressed in a pretty red dress like she was waiting for a ride to a friend’s birthday party. But she wasn’t off to a party. And it was after midnight. That delicate young girl was working. Waiting for a man willing to pay less than a dollar to take any innocence she had left. And she wasn’t the only one.

There are an estimated 200,000 prostitutes working in Addis Ababa. It’s been referred to as the Bangkok of Africa. Prostitution in Ethiopia is not legal, per se, but authorities tend to look the other way. Most of the women working in bars in Addis are prostitutes. Approximately 75% of them are also HIV+. Sadly, many of the men taking advantage of these girls and women are diplomats, foreign businessmen and NGO workers.

Many of the girls and women forced into prostitution and exploited by Addis’ sex trade are orphans, former child brides and victims of abuse and domestic violence. Many parents in the countryside have been persuaded to let their daughters travel to the city with middlemen advertising job opportunities as household servants with plans to turn them over to pimps. Some girls are abducted and trafficked. Many young women travel to the city on their own looking for employment, only to find themselves alone in the city with no work, no place to stay, and no money to get back to their villages. Others are lured by pimps as soon as they get off of the bus at the Merkato. There are as many sad stories as there are women to tell them, but generational poverty and financial hopelessness is a common thread that runs through most of them.

Serawit “Cherry” Teketel’s heart was burdened for Addis’ street women during the year that she spent looking for work after graduating from university (Ethiopia’s employment rate is currently estimated at 60%). She reflected on her own difficult job search, despite her education, skills and qualifications, and realized how much more difficult, impossible even, it must be for the street women—broken, hopeless and lacking education (most vocational programs in Addis require a minimum of 8 years’ formal schooling)—to escape from prostitution. Teketel partnered with Wendy and Andrew Brown (USA), Yvonne Mildred (UK) and Ruth and Andy Meakins (UK) to form Ellilta/Women at Risk (WAR).

WAR sends representatives out into the streets to meet prostitutes. They visit the women on the streets and at bars and nightclubs, often inviting them into a van for tea, cookies and conversation. Their initial contacts are focused on building friendships with the women. Some of the women quickly express their desperation and urgency to leave the sex trade. Others are less trusting of WAR’s motives and take more time to open up. Once there is a foundation of relationship, the women (often, girls) are given the opportunity to leave the sex worker trade in exchange for committing to enter WAR's year-long program of counseling, training and teaching. Accepting the offer requires a lot of courage, particularly for those women who have been trafficked and work for pimps, but in every case where the women are in bondage to fear and feelings of worthlessness.

The physical, emotional and psychological damage of prostitution runs deep. WAR’s counselors work to help restore the women’s self-respect, dignity, and hope. The women are assisted with family reconciliation. Their children are cared for or enrolled in school while they are in the program. In many cases, medical assistance in managing HIV is provided and some cases, addiction recovery is also a component. WAR partners with employers that train the women in employable skills while taking their educational and social background into consideration. By the time they complete the program, many of the women have developed work ethics, learned an employable skill, learned to manage household finances, and been placed in a job. At that point, they are transitioned out of the program.  Over 90% of women (360+) who have passed through WAR's program have succeeded in permanently leaving prostitution and reintegrating into society.

Back in October, I had an opportunity to visit the E-WAR center on my trip to Addis. We hung out in the courtyard and visited with the women and girls who were currently in the program. We sipped hot tea and they taught us some trendy and traditional Ethiopian dance moves. They were surprised at how old I was. And I was surprised at how young many of them were. They are precious girls and women—daughters of the KING!

It’s heart-wrenching to know where these women have come from and the pain they have endured. I’m sickened to think of how they’ve been used, abused, tortured, objectified, shamed, devalued and degraded. They’ve seen and experienced things my brain can’t even stretch to comprehend. But what they have been robbed of, the Lord is restoring. The women we met at the WAR center are survivors, on a journey from despair to hope and joy. Their stories are testimonies of redemption. And there are thousands more who still need to be reached.  These videos were produced by Samaritan's Purse to share WAR's mission and feature some of the women whose lives have been changed by this ministry:

You can learn more about Women At Risk and how to partner with them by visiting their website HERE. Tomorrow, I’ll share about FashionABLE, one of the great companies that supports WAR by providing funding for its programs and by training and employing its women.

Look what THE LORD has done! {Auggie's Hydrops Miracle}

As many of you know, a few months ago, my unborn nephew was diagnosed with non-immune hydrops. Little Auggie was given less than 10% chance of surviving to viability and an even smaller percentage estimate of ever going home from the NICU.  The prognosis for hydrops babies is very poor and, as we discovered in the weeks after receiving Auggie's diagnosis, there are few published survival stories.  Accepted standard of care for this diagnosis is termination of pregnancy. 

Over the past 19 weeks, my sister has been such an example of strength and faith. She researched, consulted with professionals around the world, traveled to Philadelphia to be seen by the team of doctors considered to be the hydrops experts, advocated for all possible options to be considered that Auggie might have life, and treated each day of pregnancy as a gift--one more precious day spent being Auggie’s mommy. She was an encouragement and resource to other women with hydrops diagnoses even on the toughest days of her own journey. Perhaps most importantly, she surrounded herself with an army of prayer warriors who, like her, were believing for Auggie’s miracle with faith in God’s ability to do the impossible.

On Tuesday afternoon, our family received living proof that God is still in the miracle-working business. That miracle was a perfectly healthy 8 pound, 1 ounce beautiful baby boy named Auguste Michael. Little Auggie is a testimony of God’s goodness, power and faithfulness.

Photo by Gena Murphy Photography

If you didn’t get to follow Lisa’s blog during this journey, it’s a story you will want to read. I think Lisa's willingness to be vulnerable, real and raw will resonate with others walking through a dark place. There were many unknowns and it is only now that we know how the story ends. Perhaps another anxious mommy, daddy, family member or friend--up in the middle of the night scouring the internet for a glimmer of hope in the face of a devastating diagnosis--will stumble upon his story.  Maybe it will give someone who has lost faith a reason to believe.  The doctors can't explain it, and we haven't done anything to deserve it, but our family has received a miracle.  We stand in awe and amazement at what the Lord has done!

Here are my favorite posts from Lisa’s blog:
What is Non-Immune Hydrops Fetalis? (a good explanation of the condition and prognosis)
Auguste: Non-Immune Hydrops Diagnosis at 20 Week Ultrasound
Hope
Mustard Seeds
Tapestry of Life
General Revelations
Developments Thus Far
Sleeping in Jersey Tonight
CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia): Where Hope Begins
One Day at a Time
On My Own
Warm and Fuzzy
A Good Day Indeed
Hiccups
The Unforseeable Future
Erleichda!
"Resolving Hydrops"
Roads Less Traveled
Lessons from Loss
Birth Plans
36 Week Update
37 Weeks and a Warm and Fuzzy Shower
Our Hydrops Miracle
The Weekly Buzz

The Daddy Daughter Dance

Sunday afternoon, D and Miss K attended a daddy-daughter dance benefitting K’s preschool. She was excited to be going on a special “Date with Dad” like she's seen her sisters do, getting to wear the new dress and frilly socks she picked out at Dillard’s last week, having her fingernails painted and, of course, dancing. The girl has some moves and loves to show them off!

I had so much fun helping her get ready. We came home from church/lunch and I made her bubble bath, washed and twisted her hair, lotioned up her skin and painted her fingers and toes. Precious mommy-daughter time. I got teary-eyed watching her admire herself in the mirror all dressed up with a flower in her hair. My beautiful daughter. Then my man came around the corner in his sport coat and pink tie (what he’ll do for his daughters!) and took my breath away, again. Wow! What a good-looking pair! How did I get so lucky to have them in my life?

Of course, I wanted pictures!  Some pink azaleas across the street caught my eye, so we walked over and had a little photo session in the neighbors’ yard.  Chloe had to get in on the pictures, too!  

At twenty ‘til four, I buckled my princess in her carseat, kissed my Prince Charming goodbye, and watched them pull out of the driveway in our royal coach (the silver minivan, haha).

A few hours later, the big girls and I walked out to the driveway to greet them when they arrived home. K was eager to show me her corsage and tell me all about the “Daughter Dance”. D had enjoyed meeting the other daddies and dancing with K—having her dance on his shoes during the slow dances and watching her break it down on the dance floor with her little friends during the fast ones.

 

They’d finished their date with ice cream at Baskin-Robbins.

K, I know you had so much fun on your first big date with Daddy!  I hope you have many more special dates together in the future!  You are so cherished! Daddy is so in love with you!  

Our 365-ish Project: Snapshots from January

I mentioned this little project a couple of posts ago. D and I are going to try to take one picture a day for 2013 and then put them all together into a “year in review” come next January. A bunch of snapshots of real, daily life in our family. I think glimpses of our daily routine and moments that may seem ordinary now, and might be boring to other people, but that one day they will be priceless to us. As our children grow up and our family grows bigger, I hope this will be a fun way to remember this time of our lives. And maybe fun for our children one day, too. Don’t you think it would be cool to be able to think back to some year in your childhood and in just a few minutes be able to see a picture from every day that year? Set to music from around that year? I would love that!

We were already a few days into 2013 when we got the idea to do this, and there have already been a couple of days since where the project has completely slipped our minds, so our 365 project won’t quite contain 365 shots—but hopefully we’ll come close. I’m going to use the blog to help organize my photos, keep me accountable, and provide captions for some of the pictures so we can remember the significance of various shots or what we were doing when a picture was taken.

I’m planning to do a separate post for each month of the year, starting with this one, for January:

1. Miss A bouncing on the pogo stick we got the girls for Christmas. Right after this picture was taken, I asked for a turn. I thought I was going to show off my skillz (I happen to have held the title of Colgate Avenue pogo stick champion back in second grade). But I was humbled to discover that I’ve lost my pogo mojo. The stick isn’t as bouncy when you’re so heavy you take the footrests all the way to the ground. I guess my glory days are over and it’s time to pass the baton, er, pogo stick, to the next generation.

3. Last night, M and I cuddled up on my bed and watched the video of Stacey Westfall’s 2006 championship ride. She is so talented! If you’ve never watched it, click HERE.

The girls spent today at the ranch. Miss M was inspired to ride Pistol bareback today and practice her horsemanship skills.

4. Helping Mamatoo at the barn after school!

5. We celebrated Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) and then spent the rest of the day and evening at the Magic Kingdom. I wrote more about it HERE.

6. D, K and M watching the Broncos game on TV. The Broncs played strong but lost to the Ravens in double overtime! Ray Lewis is a Lakelander, so lots of folks in our neck of the woods are rooting for the Ravens.

7. Me dancing with K in the kitchen after dinner.

8. Mamatoo took the girls to the ranch after school today.

9. Miss A at afternoon car line wearing a crown she made in school.

10. K spent the day with Mamatoo and Ken. Here she is with Paco, one of Mamatoo’s donkeys. He’s so cute, and as affectionate as a puppy!!

11. Another barn day! Miss A feeding the chickens!

12. D took the girls skateboarding/bike riding around the neighborhood and to the park after dinner.

13. Violin recital! Miss A played Allegreto and Miss M played Gavotte from Mignon.

After the recital, we went to the pet store and bought the girls the aquarium they’ve been eyeing! The light has a black-light effect and once the water is properly treated, they want to add some glow-fish. AND the big girls say if they have an aquarium with glowing fish in their bedroom, they’ll definitely want to sleep in there every night. We’ll see about this!

14. K practicing her "biolin".

15. D took A to play tennis while I K tagged along with me to M’s voice lesson.

16. Fish in the tank!

And the big girls have been sleeping in their own beds. I’m back in my bed again. No, it’s not just the two of us. K is cozy in the middle between Mama and Daddy—and we LOVE it!

17. Miss A in a puppy dog towel after her bath.

18. No pictures today! But we had a great date night tonight. Gift card shopping spree at Loft (they were having a great sale, too!) and gift card dinner at the Olive Garden. The girls had their weekly grandparent sleepover and spent the night at Pa’s.

19. Family movie night! We ordered Chinese take-out and cuddled up in the living room to watch Alladin. The girls wanted to get cozy in sleeping bags for the movie. 

Cute story about the sleeping bags. Miss A was exploring in D’s closet with her new flashlight and yelled out “I found the booty!” I was in the next room and peeked around the corner to see what in the world she was talking about. “Pardon me?” She clarified that she wasn’t referring to someone’s bottom but was speaking “Pirate” because she’d discovered a hidden treasure—sleeping bags! Come to think of it, it is Gasparilla week! Aye!

20. Beautiful afternoon to play at the neighborhood park and go out for fro-yo.

The big girls are still sleeping in their big girl beds in their big girl room with their glowing fish tank serving as a night light. We’ve enjoyed listening to them over the monitor as they giggle and talk to each other after we pray with them and tuck them in. Reminds me of sharing a room with my sister and how those early years have helped shape the bond we have today. 

This morning,  I heard them wake up about the same time I did. I got up to walk to their room and tell them good morning. When I got to the hallway, I realized they’d gone into the bathroom together. I overheard this conversation through the bathroom door: 

Miss M: If you ever have to go to the bathroom in the night, don’t think you have to wait until morning. I’m free. Just wake me up and ask me to go with you. 

Miss A: Good to know.

21. A chilly, rainy day. Perfect for a chili and cornbread dinner! Miss A helped set the table, disappeared for a few minutes, and showed up to eat dressed in a wedding gown. She requested orange juice to drink and asked if I could put it in a fancy “cheers!” glass.

22. Damion snapped this picture of the big girls walking into school this morning. You can't tell, but they were holding hands. Love that they're so close and affectionate with each other.

23. D got the girls flashlights so they can read in the car. They’ve been having so much fun with them! A used hers to illuminate M’s paper while M drew a picture as we were driving from church to Chick-Fil-A tonight.

24. Miss A's “fancy” trend continues. . . Miss A before school this morning.

25. She ain’t too cute to scoop! Miss M loves doing barn chores!

26. Pigfest! More pix HERE.

27. Forgot pictures today! GREAT service at church. Stopped by FedEx/Kinkos to get the big girls pictures taken for their passport renewals. Lunch at Wendy’s, violin lessons, froyo and a “night walk” around the neighborhood with flashlights.

28. Girls wanted to sit three across in the way-back on the way to school this morning. This is how it will be when the boys get home.

We took dinner to our friends the (other) B family this evening. They recently brought home a sweet daughter from China. We are so happy she's finally home!  She's so precious!  Another family in our local adoption circle just got matched with sibling girls in Nicaragua!  So excited for the growing G family--can hardly wait until they get home too!   

29. Miss A having fun being stuck in a bucket!  She's such a hoot!

30. Today, there was a Jawa sighting out at the ranch!  This picture was not staged--just K bundled up in one of Ken's sweatshirts out playing in the pasture.

31. First and second grade program at the girls’ school. Spend a While on the Nile. Too cute!