In 2021, we and many of our partners saw hopes deferred again and again due to COVID-19 and many other delays. It was a year of much learning, creative thinking, and listening to those on the ground as they shared with us their struggles and their insights. As we enter now into a new year,…
Over one year later, the first ever Vuka Small Business Start-Up Cohort has learned much. Starting a new business during COVID was extremely challenging, but we celebrate how each participant creatively addressed those challenges and all they have learned. Many of the small businesses are still running and providing much-needed income for projects among the…
From the very beginning, Loom’s goal was to equip CCW Alumni to creatively contextualize what they learned within their own unique cultural and professional situation. As leaders recognized the need to break the 4-week CCW into shorter, more regular trainings to fit the needs of busy pastors, teachers, and community leaders, the Celebrating Children Seminar…
Lotet Julius is a Social Innovator working in Northern Uganda among refugees fleeing South Sudan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw greatly increased incidents of violence erupt among the camps. This caused them to create the Reconciliation Gate Foundation, which promotes grassroots reconciliation, peace and development. Here is Lotet’s story, in his own words: Among…
“This teaching has changed me.” Over and over again, this is the feedback that Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) Alumni are hearing as they run their own seminars across East Africa. Since October 2020, 16 facilitators have successfully launched 28 seminars in various locations in East Africa. These 16 facilitators have trained 1311 beneficiaries – pastors,…
“Everything that I am doing now has changed my life.” – Gemma, Vuka Small Business Owner It has been one year since Loom launched the Vuka Small Business Start-Up Course with a training in Arusha, Tanzania. Since then, twenty-eight leaders have completed the course and have launched their own small business in their community.…
Bosco Tuli is a social innovator working near Lira, Uganda in the wake of Northern Uganda’s civil war. His goal is to give the youth of Uganda an opportunity to rebuild their future through education and job skills training. Northern Uganda is recovering from over two decades of armed conflict, which resulted in the displacement…
When looking back over this past winter, it’s not hard to see how the math adds up. In 2019, Loom had begun conversations with leaders in Uganda who wanted to co-host a Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) in 2020. As we talked further about a CCW Uganda, everyone agreed that 70 participants was the maximum number…
Creativity might just be one of the most important skills a teacher has, especially in this season of remote and distance learning. In Loom’s Celebrating Children Workshop’s Facilitator training this Spring, we discussed the role of a teacher and what it means to help students learn. Just like in the CCW, this meant using creative…
As the six-month incubation period of Vuka small businesses comes to a close, we asked both Loom coaches and business owners what their highlights from this new initiative were. “Moving from an unknown stage to a ‘Aha!’ That is my experience with coaching my clients. I grew in my ability to be an active…