On a July day in 2007 Janine Maxwell met this group of women, the h.o.w.? widows, who had been praying for provisions. She had a team of volunteers who had the cows gathered, and had also worked previously with the women to help in their gardens and install the fencing around them. While it was quite a task, as the book Is It Okay With You? details, the cows were presented to each woman with much laughter and tears. A year later the women were visited again to see how they were doing. Janine Willis Maxwell was invited to their weekly prayer and praise meeting. They were overjoyed with this visit and she got to hear the womens personal stories. The addition of a milk cow to their lives had raised their income from $50 a year to $300 a year. They were healthier from now having milk in their diets, their children were healthier, and they were overjoyed for money to send the children to school. Heart for Africa has the philosophy of giving a hand up rather than a hand out so that the Africans can begin to provide for themselves. And in 2009 the most exciting part of the story developed. These women were given the opportunity to have business together by HFA building them a small womens center to do their handwork. This building has a cement floor, a fireplace to keep them warm and dry, and windows to let the sunlight in. This is THE building where the women make what we call HOW jewelry, along with other handmade accessories. This building provided them a great place to start this business that would prove to be another great avenue of income for them and their families. This jewelry was and is purchased from the widows in bulk and paid for up front, so that they can benefit at the time of the sale, and have cash to buy more supplies for their handwork. And this my dear FB friends, is how h.o.w.? Jewelry got started. The jewelry is not only beautiful in its raw and casual way, but it also has historical and cultural significance. Local materials are used such as semi precious stones, camel bone, local glass beads, porcupine quill, and paper beads that are made by carefully rolling up colorful pages of magazines and newspapers. The women of h.o.w.? Jewelry often pray as they are making the pieces of jewelry. So chances are, you have been prayed for while your piece or pieces of jewelry was being made. In the plans for this womens center, the women were asked for a Bible verse that was meaningful to them, and they answered. I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:56:58 +0000
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