We start out at dark, and first light becomes a crimson streak across the sky. The sound of our van lurching along the rocky terrain is mingled with cowbells and braying goats. We are in Engikaret, the “place of thorns,” in a Maasai region outside of Arusha, Tanzania. We are here to experience what it…
Ten years ago, a small team of international trainers walked up a red clay path and entered a classroom in Kigali, Rwanda. Inside sat fifty pastors, teachers, caregivers, Sunday school leaders, and nonprofit workers who would become the first-ever participants of the Celebrating Children Workshop. The month-long workshop was the product of two and a…
“It’s not a training, it’s a transformation.” Mary, one of our partners, spoke these words when we asked her how the Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) has changed her work with vulnerable children. In the past four years since she first took the CCW, Mary has not only continued her work with 85 children at risk,…
“They will take this and make it better.” From the launch of Loom’s Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) ten years ago, our goal has always been to get the training into the hands of those who need it most. We knew this would mean that we couldn’t just be satisfied with doing a few trainings on…
For generations, their families have never gone to school. Now, these two grandmothers won’t stop until their community has the chance they never did. Several weeks ago, we had the privilege of sitting down with two extraordinary leaders who are tenaciously changing the future of their communities. These leaders are visionaries: they have the gift…
“I’ve never sat in better training, ever.” – Jane Brenda, Uganda “It’s one of the best trainings I’ve ever done. It opened my mind. I learned so much about trauma-related issues and their impact on children.” – Helen, Kenya “This training filled a void that I had and it is not to me alone but…
While we were in East Africa last month, we sat down with social innovators working in a variety of community development projects and asked them one question. From animal husbandry to education to job skills training, here is what they have learned. “It is good to start small with a business like this…
By Eugenie Adamah-Tassah A few days ago I was getting ready for work. I got my children fed and ready to go to school and was drinking my hibiscus tea before heading to the car. While I was half-way through my cup of tea, I spilled the rest on my white shirt. Frustrated by…
Who was in your circle? Who was it who taught you resilience, who taught you how to express and regulate emotions, and what it meant to be a healthy adult? Who was it who taught you how to live out of a heart of peace? Some of us can easily identify who was part of…
“I am totally surprised, puzzled, shocked to learn that child-related issues are global/universal!” (India) “I leave this room a different mother, employee, and child of God.” (Kenya) “I’ve become more aware of children’s inherent dignity.” (Thailand) “I will want to call together my fellow pastors to the task of our responsibilities towards children.” (Benin) “I…
