Sitting around a table stretching 24 feet are 32 girls between about the ages of six and twenty. Each has a story of great suffering, but you wouldn’t know that from the tone of this gathering. They are laughing, playing games, and interacting like sisters. It’s dinner time for this makeshift family, and I’m honored to be a guest.
My hosts are a thirty-something couple, Consoler and Eliya. A few years back, Consoler decided she wanted to help girls who, like herself, were survivors of gender-based violence. Before she knew it, she had created a safe haven in the form of a home — a family — called New Hope for Girls. Now, there are roughly 30 girls living with them at any given time, each being supported in ways that provide healing and hope. The girls go to school, some have jobs, and a few of the older girls are in a cooperative that has gone through David Clemy’s VICOBA training. Day-to-day life looks pretty typical. That’s the point.
Craig filming with New Hope for Girls.
I traveled to Tanzania as a storyteller, armed with a video camera. Over the course of three days, I followed Consoler and Eliya like a shadow, capturing the little moments that make their work special. Soon, this footage will become a video that highlights African Road’s partnership with Consoler and Eliya (stay tuned!).
While I was in the neighborhood, I made the short flight to Rwanda to visit our friends and partners there. Once again (this was my fourth trip) I was blown away by the progress. I got to visit Providance’s new store. I also observed the Togetherness preschool’s new Montessori-style approach to teaching.
A still from Craig’s upcoming film about the Corner Store.
But my favorite part was seeing the new bakery in action. A group of girls from the Togetherness Cooperative recently completed a thorough two-month training with The Women’s Bakery that led up to the opening of a fully functioning bakery. Small baking operations is a relatively novel concept in Rwanda where ovens and bread are only found in giant industrial settings. The Women’s Bakery teaches the skills and business know-how to run a high end bakery that makes healthier and better-tasting options than the alternatives. The day that I was on site was supposed to be the soft launch date, but it turned out the women were so excited to open their doors that they started selling bread a week prior — selling all of their inventory every day!
Togetherness ladies hard at work making and baking bread.
Craig filming at the Togetherness Women’s Bakery.
For me, this trip was a fun juxtaposition. In Rwanda, I saw the progress that’s come through seven years of partnership with Steven and the Togetherness Cooperative. In Tanzania, it was exciting to see the amazing things already being done — and the potential for things to come. Get ready — it’s going to be a fun year!