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Merry Christmas from the Women of Hope

12/28/2020

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Meet Restmery

6/10/2020

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Rafiki Exchange's Month of Mothers

4/9/2020

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A Story from a Widow in Malawi

ROSEMARY MWANDELILE’S STORY
One in ten African women fifteen and older is a widow. This is a huge demographic and fitting that it is the last group of mothers considered in our month of mothers. Rosemary Mwandelile, from our Widows Program in Malawi, wrote this to us:
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Being a widow in any country is not easy! In Malawi, most women do not have jobs outside the home. I had a job when my husband died, but I needed to settle his estate. During this time his family was not very cooperative, and I needed to take time away from my job.
My employer felt that I was absent too often, so I lost my job.
Here I was: married for 29 years but now without a husband and a means
to provide for myself. Shortly after my husband died, two of my five sons also died.
​I was left to care for their two children, as well.
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I knew about Rafiki because it was at my church at St. Andrew’s CCAP.
The Rafiki Foundation had their first school in our old church building!
One day in church, they announced that the Rafiki Foundation wanted to create a Bible study for women. I was immediately excited and attended the meeting.
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Rafiki introduced the Bible study lessons to us. They helped me become spiritually strong, even in the trying moments I was passing through. I could go back home with the knowledge of God’s Word I was gaining with my fellow widows, and it strengthened my spiritual life.
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​After Bible Study lessons, we were introduced to “Widows Products.” Our first task was to make baskets out of plastic papers. We then handcrafted necklaces made of bush beads called vizuzu, and sold them to the Rafiki Home Office.

The ability to produce something, sell it, and receive money
began to change my physical life.
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From the proceeds of my products, I was able to build a septic tank for my house. Before that, my family and I were using an outside pit latrine. Going to a pit latrine at night or in the rainstorms we have in Malawi was always difficult.
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Now I am sixty-six years old, and The Rafiki widows continue to meet at my house to study the Bible and create products to sell to the Rafiki Home Office.

Though I may not be physically strong, I am spiritually strong
because of the Rafiki Bible Study.

I continue to be blessed by the Bible lessons, and I am very grateful to have the widows around me as we share the Word of God together.
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​These are the women you are supporting when you shop with the Rafiki Exchange.
​Thank you for your support as we strive to come alongside mothers in Africa. 
Click to Shop these Widows' Products
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Rafiki Exchange's Month of Mothers

4/9/2020

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How a Mother in Africa Takes Care of Her Children

“Wearing your baby” is a new trend these days for moms on the go, but African mothers have been wearing their babies for ages. With no sidewalks and having to use precarious transportation methods, such as riding on the back of a bicycle, wearing her child is the only way an African mom can get around! One might also see a heavy bowl or basket balanced atop the mother’s head with a baby fastened on her back. Motherhood in Africa is certainly not for the fainthearted!
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Most mothers in Africa are working mothers. They work in the market, in the fields, and in public works, often with their children in tow. Moms are working to pay rent, put food on the table, and pay school fees, finding whatever opportunity they can in a
​high-unemployment context to support their families.

African moms cook without processed or pre-packaged foods or microwaves and many times without electricity. Boiling every drop of drinking-water on a kerosene stove to make it safe for her family and washing every fruit and vegetable to prevent illness, they must be vigilant to keep their children healthy.  
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So here’s to the African mothers raising their children and caring for their families with love and perseverance! We wish them all, and you, a very happy Mother’s month!
 
Helping Africans know God and raise their standard of living, one mother at a time.
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Rafiki Exchange’s Month of Mothers

4/9/2020

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A Day in the Life of a Mother in Africa

The typical morning routine for those of us in developed countries is familiar: we rise, press the button on our coffee machine, turn a knob and have a hot shower, eat breakfast at home or on the go, and then start our day. But what does an average day look like for mothers living in rural Africa?
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According to an article in the Independent, the African mother often wakes before dawn and soon begins her long list of chores. In one day, she may kindle a fire, check to see if her chicken has laid eggs to trade in the market, help her husband for hours in the field, breastfeed her youngest child, and mend her children’s worn clothes.

​Without the luxury of running water, African women must walk miles to the nearest well each day. World Vision notes that the average African woman walks over 3.5 miles every day to haul 40 pounds of water, assuming her region is not in a draught. She cares for her husband and children the entire day and well after they are asleep in the evening. Many African women live without electricity and running water, and their only transportation is their feet.


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​In these difficult conditions, African women must diligently care for their husbands and children.
 
We at the Rafiki Exchange seek to train African women so they can support themselves and their families. We partner with them, giving them dignified jobs and a chance to utilize their God-given talents as they craft beautiful products and study the Scriptures. 
 
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Rafiki Exchange's Month of Mothers

4/9/2020

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Rafiki Exchange Presents a Month of Mothers

Mom, mother, mum, mamma—these words are used so often by all of us.
​A UK study shows that children ask their mom about 300 questions a day, making mothers the most quizzed professionals.
 
Mother’s Day is a month away, and as we plan to celebrate the special women in our lives, it’s important to remember

the mothers who are overlooked, the mothers who aren’t made to feel special,
the mothers who struggle to provide for their children.
 
Follow the Rafiki Exchange as we talk about the mothers many overlook. 
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What do the lives of African mothers look like?
In many African countries, motherhood is especially difficult. Often without adequate resources and support, mothers struggle daily to provide for themselves and their children.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is not unlikely for a mother to lose her child at a young age. According to the World Health Organization, children in Sub-Saharan Africa are 15 times more likely to die before age five than children in developed regions
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From a young age, African girls are encouraged to marry and have children. Social traditions are often forced upon them; UNICEF notes that in West and Central Africa 41% of girls marry before reaching the age of 18.
 
African women are the sole caregivers of their children. Should a mother pass away, then another woman in the family—not the child’s father— would assume the child’s care.
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Many African mothers experience a life filled with hard physical labor. Before connecting with Rafiki, mothers in our Widows groups used to break rocks in a quarry for income. Imagine sitting in a pile of rocks all day, breaking them with your bare hands while carrying a child on your back. After joining a Rafiki Widows Group, our African mothers now have hope.
 
We partner with mothers by giving them dignified work, an income to support their families, and the Rafiki Bible Study to feed their souls. 
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Meet Ajija Malan

3/25/2020

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Ajija is a Grandmother Working for the Women of Hope.
She wrote us describing how the Women of Hope
has helped her in her life. 

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I was married with two children when I was diagnosed HIV positive in 2002.

At first, I could not believe it. My eyes were open, but it was like trying to see through the darkness. I felt paralyzed knowing I had the terrible disease I’d heard about on the television and radio.
All I could think about was how I might die from the disease.

Many with HIV were dying
at that time.

I first heard about the sewing program and the Mashiah Foundation when I went to an HIV-positive support group at a big hospital.  The Mashiah Foundation gave me medicine and told me to take it with good food—the problem was that I didn’t have any food in my house.

I said, “Thank you for the medicine, but I don’t have any
food to take it with.” 

A man from the foundation checked his pockets, but he didn’t have any money. He went out and borrowed some money and gave it to me. The same thing happened the next week. 

He then asked his wife to start a sewing program for HIV-positive women so they could earn money to care for themselves and their families in 2003. Since then, many HIV-positive women have been given a new lease on life. 

I don’t know my age, but I’m a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 5. I started taking antiretroviral drugs in 2004 and still take them faithfully.

I cannot express in words how grateful I am for the work I have through the Women of Hope. This is what is keeping me alive. 
I am thankful that this place has embraced me, regardless of my HIV. Even in the church, people used to move away from me.
​Now, I am proud to be a woman of hope.
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Once, I was without hope—but the Women of Hope and Rafiki have given me courage and a bright future. ​
 
Know the names and stories of the artisans whose products you purchase when you shop at the Rafiki Exchange.

Shop Women of Hope Products
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Widowhood in Tanzania

9/26/2018

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Tanzania has one of the highest rates of child marriages in the entire world. Today, 37% of girls are forced into marriage before they have reached their 18th Birthday. In fact, 2 out of 5 girls are married before they are 18 years old. Traditional customs condone harassment and violence towards women. Cases of violence usually go unreported. The cases that are reported are usually settled outside of court. Discrimination also happens inside the classroom. The girls who actually get the chance to go to school can be automatically expelled if they are married or pregnant. In rural villages women who are older in years get accused of being witches and then are violently attacked. Studies have shown that in 2013, 505 women in Tanzania had witchcraft-related murders.
This is why the Rafiki Exchange strives to help widows in Africa, including Tanzania. We teach these women the Bible. They now have an opportunity to learn about a loving God who sent His Son to die for sinners, the One who created the world, a God who knows their every need. The Rafiki Exchange gives an opportunity for women to work and support themselves and their children. Giving them an option which was nearly impossible before. We believe in helping women in need across Africa. Women who often times have no voice, women who are forgotten. We are passionate about this important work.

Written by McKenna Gasper

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Widowhood in Kenya

9/26/2018

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Forced marriages, sexual abuse, and wife inheritance is all prevalent in the 8 million widows living in Kenya. When you consider that Kenya has some of the most oppressed widows in the world living in it, those 8 million lives suddenly seem to be more important. In a study done in 2016 the widows in Kenya were ranked 33rd in the world for most devastated lifestyle. 
When her husband dies, the in-laws usually try and take the land from the widow he leaves behind. If the widow's land is taken from her by the in-laws, what choice does she have but to comply? If she protests them taking the land and takes the matter to court, what will happen if she wins? She will have a home but will then be completely ostracized by her clan. She may have four walls and a roof over her head, but living in a village where no one will speak to you would be a tragic life. It seems far safer to let them take the home and property. 
In most cases, widows end up blamed for their husband's death and cast out of society with no belongings. With no property, no home, and no one to turn to for help, the widow is left alone. 
This is why Rafiki's work with widows is so important. We come along side these women and help them support themselves in a way that was not possible before. It is our hope that you will come along side of us and help give lasting hope to future generations of widows in Kenya.

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Written by McKenna Gasper

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Widowhood in Rwanda

9/26/2018

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In 1994 the finish of the Rwandan Genocide, which came from a 100 day mass murder from the Hutu and Tutsi Tribes, left over 800,000 people dead. Studies show that 1 in 10 Rwandans died during these 100 days. The effects of having almost 1 million people die in less than four months is staggering. Rwanda quickly became a country with more women than men. The scars and trauma these women carry with them is both tragic and inspiring. They survived things most of us couldn’t even dream of. They watched their children and husbands get hacked into bits by men with machetes, or were trapped while their neighbors were violently clubbed to death. Their homes were destroyed and burned to the ground while they were forced to watch. For a lot of these women, what they went through after watching this unfold, would be what some would call a fate worse than death. Violent rapings were condoned and these women suffered in the most extreme ways because of it. Some were left after all this took place to, “die of sadness.” 
After the genocide finished, these widows were left to pick up the pieces, and somehow make a new life. With their husbands dead, the widows from the Hutu and Tutsi Tribes came together and made peace. By weaving baskets together these women found a way of healing in something that has been a part of Rwandan culture for centuries. The weaving and selling of these baskets to Western markets has gained the Rwandan widows economic independence and improved their local communities. 
Now, 24 years later, 50% of homes in Rwanda are run by women. The women in this country still live in extreme poverty. Often $1.25 a day or less is what they have to feed and shelter themselves and their children. They are slowly rebuilding. The Rafiki Exchange has partnered with these very women, and are selling their baskets in our Local Exchanges, on our Online Exchange, and our new Etsy Shop. We are passionate about helping these widows support themselves and their children.
Shop Baskets Woven by these Widows
Written by Mckenna Gasper
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About Us
Rafiki Foundation Website:
​rafikifoundation.org​
Blog
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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Shop
    • Coffee
    • Baskets
    • For the Home
    • Apparel
    • Jewelry
    • Children
    • Bags and Accessories
  • Products that Come with Stories
    • Kirabo Gifts
    • Women of Hope
    • Genocide Survivors
    • Victoria the Weaver
    • Lydia's Bark Cloth
    • Chelesian Creations
    • Refugee Stonebreakers
  • Blog
  • Contact