According to The Economist, Africa is projected to be the world’s fastest-growing region by 2026, although economic growth remains uneven and the continent faces significant challenges. At the same time, the Ebola outbreak in Congo is causing widespread fear, xenophobic attacks in South Africa are forcing thousands of people to flee, and many individuals still…
There once was a man named Wilfred on the road from Mkwese to Manyoni. He encountered a boy who had fallen off his bicycle and broken his arm. When Wilfred spoke to the boy, the child responded in his mother tongue, making communication difficult. Thankfully, a bilingual passerby intervened. They learned that the boy was…
Every time I have the joy of spending extended time in Africa, I find my heart is full. It is such a privilege to stand with people of power and wonder who live and serve in vulnerable communities. I come back deeply encouraged about what it means to follow Jesus. There is an account in…
The process of building in Africa takes many forms. All my life, I have seen buildings at many stages of construction, stretching over years. I remember visiting a project we have tracked in Engikaret, Tanzania, in 2016. This project started as a preschool, then added grades, a basic clinic, and a cow project for sustainability.…
In the midst of crazy global events, the good work of loving your neighbor well continues all over the world. Jesus’ core desire for us is that we love one another. In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ command to love one another is connected to the experience of joy. John writes of being “filled with…
Often, as we work in communities, the outcomes we measure are macro. They range from access to clean water to mother and child mortality rates, to the number of children in school, and many other quantifiable indicators. And yet, beneath these important indicators lies a foundational unit—the family. Our families mark us and can be…
I remember my first visit to Engikaret about ten years ago. Driving out to barrenness. There was nothing. Whatever direction you looked, it was dusty, and in the distance, the occasional red dot of Maasai herders with their goats. But John and Jacinta Mukolwe, with Edward and Anester, had started work on a school. Part…
This statement comes from an evaluation form we received following a Celebrating Children’s Workshop in Africa. It reverberated in me. The participant explained that he believed God intended for some people to thrive while others he did not —he identified as a “not.” This mindset limited his perception of what was possible for his life.…
Upon returning to Nigeria, we began with a review of the content covered in January, and part of our evaluation involved asking participants in our program how they had applied what they learned. What struck us was the high rate of application achieved by the participants. The reports covered three main areas: **Personal Impact:** Participants…
Our magic sauce, our raison d’être, our why, at Loom International is to stand with people of power and wonder. We are often astounded at what our partners set out to do and accomplish. But then there is a whole other level of how they live and follow Jesus, with no thought that this is…
