Our focus is to ACTIVATE CHANGED THINKING AND PRACTICE among those WORKING WITH THE VULNERABLE GLOBALLY

Since the launch of Loom’s Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) seventeen years ago, our goal has been to reach those who desire training the most. To meet this demand, we recognized that a few large workshops were insufficient, so we focused on empowering local leaders to adapt the material for their communities, thereby breaking down barriers that limit access due to travel, language, and awareness. 

Now we are thrilled to see this vision realized. Social innovators like Ana Frans, trained by Karen Del Rio, have repeatedly multiplied the course in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she and her husband, Sizwe, run an inner-city children’s program. Additionally, Rebecca Terraz organized a bilingual CCW and expanded it into the Ivory Coast and Madagascar. She continues to work with Loom to facilitate trainings in Tanzania and Nigeria and will join the team heading to Senegal in 2026.

But the movement has spread way beyond the formal Celebrating Children Workshops. Every month, somewhere in East Africa, a Celebrating Children Seminar (CCS) takes place. These seminars run in schools, churches, and local communities. They take place in community centers and under trees. They run in Swahili, Luganda, Kirundi, and other languages.

Karen, Ana, Rebecca, Oscar, Bosco, Jane-Brenda, and a multitude of other CCW facilitators truly capture the heartbeat of Loom. We emerged from the belief that social innovators are the local experts – the ones who know their communities best. Our goal is simply to build their capacity for greater effectiveness and accelerate their growth towards sustainability. We exist to equip them to transform their communities, and our greatest joy is seeing the ripples of change continue to extend from these communities around the world. 

Over and over again, this is the feedback that Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) Alumni are hearing as they run their seminars across East Africa. Since October 2020, 19 facilitators have successfully launched 125 seminars in various locations in East Africa.  These 19 facilitators have trained 6386 beneficiaries – pastors, teachers, parents, foster families, grandmothers, and Sunday School workers, to name a few. Tens of thousands of children have been directly impacted by these seminars.

Since the launch of Loom’s Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) seventeen years ago, our goal has been to reach those who desire training the most. To meet this demand, we recognized that a few large workshops were insufficient, so we focused on empowering local leaders to adapt the material for their communities, thereby breaking down barriers that limit access due to travel, language, and awareness. 

Now we are thrilled to see this vision realized. Social innovators like Ana Frans, trained by Karen Del Rio, have repeatedly multiplied the course in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she and her husband, Sizwe, run an inner-city children’s program. Additionally, Rebecca Terraz organized a bilingual CCW and expanded it into the Ivory Coast and Madagascar. She continues to work with Loom to facilitate trainings in Tanzania and Nigeria and will join the team heading to Senegal in 2026.

But the movement has spread way beyond the formal Celebrating Children Workshops. Every month, somewhere in East Africa, a Celebrating Children Seminar (CCS) takes place. These seminars run in schools, churches, and local communities. They take place in community centers and under trees. They run in Swahili, Luganda, Kirundi, and other languages.

Karen, Ana, Rebecca, Oscar, Bosco, Jane-Brenda, and a multitude of other CCW facilitators truly capture the heartbeat of Loom. We emerged from the belief that social innovators are the local experts – the ones who know their communities best. Our goal is simply to build their capacity for greater effectiveness and accelerate their growth towards sustainability. We exist to equip them to transform their communities, and our greatest joy is seeing the ripples of change continue to extend from these communities around the world. 

Over and over again, this is the feedback that Celebrating Children Workshop (CCW) Alumni are hearing as they run their seminars across East Africa. Since October 2020, 19 facilitators have successfully launched 125 seminars in various locations in East Africa.  These 19 facilitators have trained 6386 beneficiaries – pastors, teachers, parents, foster families, grandmothers, and Sunday School workers, to name a few. Tens of thousands of children have been directly impacted by these seminars.

CURRENT MULTIPLICATION HAPPENING IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES

Loom International Multiplication Map in Africa

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN ORGANICALLY:

From Switzerland to South Africa to East Africa

After Karen Del Rio completed her Celebrating Children’s Workshop in Switzerland, she knew she wanted to run her own workshop in South Africa, where she and her husband, Isak, were working. “The information changed my life; it changed the way I served kids, saw kids, and interacted with them. I wanted everyone on my team back home to have that same knowledge,” she shared.

“It was a life-changing course, both personally and professionally,” says Karen. “To be in an environment with other like-minded professionals, and to be cheered on by the Loom Facilitators, was incredibly uplifting. Our souls were refreshed, and we returned to Johannesburg with renewed strength to continue the work we do.”

 “Since our return, we have made many changes to our ministry center. Learning about stress and the brain helped us understand our kids much better. Because we understand what’s going on with their little brains, we are more patient, more kind, and more loving.”

 Back in December, one of the older girls from the center was raped and became pregnant. All the staff had their own ideas about how to handle the situation. However, at the CCW, we were inspired to listen to what she wanted. After many conversations, we realized that we had made decisions for her that she did not wish for herself. Without the CCW, we would have never taken the time to listen. Now, we can honor her by giving her choices in a situation where she had little choice.

“Our lives and our ministry have been changed as a result of the Celebrating Children Workshop, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have invested time and money to better ourselves and those we serve.”

Their experience has impacted many more lives beyond the 60 or so children in their day program. Karen and Isak ran a CCW in South Africa to train their entire staff and opened the training to others. In 2018, Ana, one of the participants from Karen’s CCW, ran her first CCW—now a “third generation” workshop from Loom, operating entirely on its own! The total number of children impacted by Ana’s CCW is 1,848.

Heather Wood, a Loom staff member specializing in CCW and training Facilitators, mentored Ana and equipped her with additional tools as a facilitator. “Working with Ana was such a gift!” exclaimed Heather. “We have desired to see CCW multiply, and it has spread across the world. However, we recognized that there was a missing piece for those wanting to run the workshop: mentoring. Through my work with Ana, I have been blessed to encourage her and help fill any gaps. You only have to read a few of the participants’ feedback forms to see that Ana ran a very successful workshop that deeply impacted participants and led to revelations about themselves, children, and God.”

 When Loom returned to Arusha in 2023 to run another CCW, Ana and her husband Sizwe joined the team of facilitators. The multiplication loop went from Switzerland to South Africa and back to Tanzania. Ana and Sizwe continue to run CCW training in South Africa.

WHERE WE WORKED GLOBALLY

Countries where we have offered Training:

Singapore

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Romania

Thailand

Tanzania

Mexico

Switzerland

Nigeria

Rwanda

South Africa

Madagascar

Ivory Coast

Namibia

ORGANIZATIONS THAT LOOM HAS PARTNERED WITH OVER THE YEARS:

CFM, Nigeria

 

YWAM Arusha, Tanzania

Back2Back 

 

LAMb International

Methodist Church of Southern Africa

 

World Without Orphans

 

Orphan’s Promise

 

Operation Blessing

ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS YIELD LONG-TERM FRUIT

Over the past decade, we have made significant investments in Tanzania. Our efforts have included training participants and facilitators through the Celebrating Children Workshop, providing business training, building classrooms, and training school teachers in Engikaret, a Maasai community. Additionally, we raised funds to give cows to promote sustainability through the Moooovement initiative in Engikaret, among other projects. John and Jacinta Mukolwe were the leaders of this work, but tragically, John died in an accident in 2024. Jacinta has since updated us on the progress of our many projects.

Each year, we enroll a new class of about a dozen students – young, single mothers and women at risk –  at Waliokumbukwa, where they learn sewing skills and receiving mentorship and healing. Several of the staff at the sewing school are alumni, and recently they held a reunion with over 80 girls from the past ten years. Their hope is to register the program with the government so that the girls can receive an official certificate upon completion.

In Engikaret, the school is thriving, with 450 students enrolled! It has gained such a good reputation that some non-Maasai families have expressed interest in enrolling their children. Two young women, rescued from child marriages over a decade ago, have now contributed back to their community by building beautiful homes for their families and working at the Engikaret school. The clinic remains operational six days a week, featuring a laboratory and a labor and delivery room, and the cows continue to provide nutritious milk for children in the community. 

Jacinta also shared information about new communities they have begun working in, where the need is significant, and “death is just so close.” She emphasized the importance of patience and the commitment to doing the next right thing while trusting in the potential for long-term change. In July 2025, they completed their first classroom block in a new area of investment in Pokot, Kenya. 

Jacinta expressed her heartfelt desire to give back to the community, stating, “I just want to be a mother to all.” She envisions creating a home and resource center for women at risk. “My kids are grown, and I would like to mentor and be there for those in need. I’ve not arrived yet, but when I look back at the time I’ve given to my children, I feel like I’ve never wasted it.”

HOW

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN ORGANICALLY:

From Switzerland to South Africa to East Africa

After Karen Del Rio completed her Celebrating Children’s Workshop in Switzerland, she knew she wanted to run her own workshop in South Africa, where she and her husband, Isak, were working. “The information changed my life; it changed the way I served kids, saw kids, and interacted with them. I wanted everyone on my team back home to have that same knowledge,” she shared.

“It was a life-changing course, both personally and professionally,” says Karen. “To be in an environment with other like-minded professionals, and to be cheered on by the Loom Facilitators, was incredibly uplifting. Our souls were refreshed, and we returned to Johannesburg with renewed strength to continue the work we do.”

 “Since our return, we have made many changes to our ministry center. Learning about stress and the brain helped us understand our kids much better. Because we understand what’s going on with their little brains, we are more patient, more kind, and more loving.”

 Back in December, one of the older girls from the center was raped and became pregnant. All the staff had their own ideas about how to handle the situation. However, at the CCW, we were inspired to listen to what she wanted. After many conversations, we realized that we had made decisions for her that she did not wish for herself. Without the CCW, we would have never taken the time to listen. Now, we can honor her by giving her choices in a situation where she had little choice.

“Our lives and our ministry have been changed as a result of the Celebrating Children Workshop, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have invested time and money to better ourselves and those we serve.”

Their experience has impacted many more lives beyond the 60 or so children in their day program. Karen and Isak ran a CCW in South Africa to train their entire staff and opened the training to others. In 2018, Ana, one of the participants from Karen’s CCW, ran her first CCW—now a “third generation” workshop from Loom, operating entirely on its own! The total number of children impacted by Ana’s CCW is 1,848.

Heather Wood, a Loom staff member specializing in CCW and training Facilitators, mentored Ana and equipped her with additional tools as a facilitator. “Working with Ana was such a gift!” exclaimed Heather. “We have desired to see CCW multiply, and it has spread across the world. However, we recognized that there was a missing piece for those wanting to run the workshop: mentoring. Through my work with Ana, I have been blessed to encourage her and help fill any gaps. You only have to read a few of the participants’ feedback forms to see that Ana ran a very successful workshop that deeply impacted participants and led to revelations about themselves, children, and God.”

 When Loom returned to Arusha in 2023 to run another CCW, Ana and her husband Sizwe joined the team of facilitators. The multiplication loop went from Switzerland to South Africa and back to Tanzania. Ana and Sizwe continue to run CCW training in South Africa.

WHERE

WHERE WE WORKED GLOBALLY

Countries where we have offered Training:

Singapore

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Romania

Thailand

Tanzania

Mexico

Switzerland

Nigeria

Rwanda

South Africa

Madagascar

Ivory Coast

Namibia

CONNECTIONS

ORGANIZATIONS THAT LOOM HAS PARTNERED WITH OVER THE YEARS:

CFM, Nigeria

 

YWAM Arusha, Tanzania

Back2Back 

 

LAMb International

Methodist Church of Southern Africa

 

World Without Orphans

 

Orphan’s Promise

 

Operation Blessing

ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS

ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS YIELD LONG-TERM FRUIT

Over the past decade, we have made significant investments in Tanzania. Our efforts have included training participants and facilitators through the Celebrating Children Workshop, providing business training, building classrooms, and training school teachers in Engikaret, a Maasai community. Additionally, we raised funds to give cows to promote sustainability through the Moooovement initiative in Engikaret, among other projects. John and Jacinta Mukolwe were the leaders of this work, but tragically, John died in an accident in 2024. Jacinta has since updated us on the progress of our many projects.

Each year, we enroll a new class of about a dozen students – young, single mothers and women at risk –  at Waliokumbukwa, where they learn sewing skills and receiving mentorship and healing. Several of the staff at the sewing school are alumni, and recently they held a reunion with over 80 girls from the past ten years. Their hope is to register the program with the government so that the girls can receive an official certificate upon completion.

In Engikaret, the school is thriving, with 450 students enrolled! It has gained such a good reputation that some non-Maasai families have expressed interest in enrolling their children. Two young women, rescued from child marriages over a decade ago, have now contributed back to their community by building beautiful homes for their families and working at the Engikaret school. The clinic remains operational six days a week, featuring a laboratory and a labor and delivery room, and the cows continue to provide nutritious milk for children in the community. 

Jacinta also shared information about new communities they have begun working in, where the need is significant, and “death is just so close.” She emphasized the importance of patience and the commitment to doing the next right thing while trusting in the potential for long-term change. In July 2025, they completed their first classroom block in a new area of investment in Pokot, Kenya. 

Jacinta expressed her heartfelt desire to give back to the community, stating, “I just want to be a mother to all.” She envisions creating a home and resource center for women at risk. “My kids are grown, and I would like to mentor and be there for those in need. I’ve not arrived yet, but when I look back at the time I’ve given to my children, I feel like I’ve never wasted it.”