Community capacity building involves developing and strengthening the skills, abilities and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive. Loom is convinced Local Experts know more about their own context than we do. Local Experts work with integrity and passion, bringing hope and change in their community—the place they know best.…
Mandy Clapper is a great friend of Loom and recently joined us at the Celebrating Children Workshop: Part Two in Tanzania. We asked Mandy a bit about her experience at the CCW and how it impacted her. Loom: First, tell us a little bit about yourself ! Mandy: I was born in Portland, but I grew up…
It’s been over a month since the team returned from East Africa, and we thought it might be time to share some more moments and stories with you! As we thought about what to share, there were so many stories we could tell. We could tell you about attendees who arrived from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda,…
A proven strategy for family preservation in vulnerable communities is a lay social worker working alongside local churches and schools. Lay social workers (sometimes also called para social workers) are those who have not been formally certified as a social worker but have the experience or know-how to perform many of the same services to…
John and Jacinta live and work in Arusha, Tanzania. Several years ago they began hosting a Christmas dinner for widows in their community to celebrate the birth of Christ. It began with about 40 widows in the first year. However, they realised that although the widows enjoyed the event, this format didn’t include their families.…
Kurt is a great friend of Loom and a committed Woven Investor. He and his wife, Donna, traveled with us to East Africa last year and have faithfully partnered with Loom and the Local Experts ever since. This week we sat down with Kurt and asked him some questions about his experience as a Woven…
This is Mirjam Eisenhardt, a friend of Loom and a fellow Woven member. We got to know her last fall when she joined us in Tanzania. Loom organized a Woven trip to introduce some friends and investors to the Local Experts and projects we’re partnering with in East Africa. Here she shares a little of…
What do the cities of Salem, Oregon and Pune, India have in common? At first glance, not much. But, this past January we discovered people from both cities shared the same vision to serve women and children at risk and the results were exciting. Here at Loom, our goal is to partner with Local Experts…
One of the greatest needs we encounter on the field is the lack of reliable funding. This year in the Loom office we have been discussing the idea of capacity building, asking questions like: What is the role of business in a vulnerable community? What would it look like if Local Experts created sustainable businesses…
