Cart

education

by

If you’ve been paying attention to pop culture news, surely you’ve heard that Monopoly will soon be retiring its thimble – that small metal cap used to protect the finger from the needle while sewing. During a fan vote earlier this year, the thimble was the first to be ousted from the current token lineup, following the 2013 retirement of the Iron. It seems that being a seamstress is not a popular career choice in the industrialized countries these days.

Since today is World Sewing Machine Day, I thought I’d spend some time talking about the importance of this soon-to-be forgotten trade. The tailor/seamstress trade has been around since at least the 16th century – back before sewing machine’s existed. During the Industrial Revolution, the trade took on even more prominence with the invention of the sewing machine, which made it easier and faster to sew fabric together for a variety of purposes.

With industrialized countries becoming more and more reliant on science, technology, business, hospitality, etc. knowledge and use of traditional industrial trades like sewing and manufacturing are being moved to other developing countries. With them, they take the forgotten symbols of trades of the past that had provided people with a means of earning income for centuries; hence the recent loss of the iron and thimble as Monopoly tokens.

However, in other parts of the world the seamstress/tailoring trades are alive and well. In fact, Uganda is known for its culture of handcrafted products, and this trade provides girls with a substantial income-generating career. That’s why we developed the Seamstress in Training program. To provide orphaned girls in Uganda with the necessary skills to work at a trade that helps lift them from poverty to prosperity.

Before coming to St. Elizabeth’s Girls Academy, many of our girls lived on the streets begging, prostituting, and doing anything they could to obtain just the basic necessities of life. But they envisioned a better life for themselves. They dreamed of one day being self-sufficient and able to afford the things they need in life without having to beg or subject themselves to unthinkable tasks. The girls work diligently through our Seamstress in Training program and learn the necessary skills to do what it takes to live independent, fulfilling lives.

The program has been met with much success as many Alumnae, like Najjuuko Resty “Kalisizo,” have gone on to be successful self-employed business owners. None of this would be possible without the invention of the sewing machine.  So while the sewing machine may soon become a thing of the past here in the states – it still plays a vital part of the world economy in other countries.

I’ll leave you with this last thought. “Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time.”

With Peace and Love,
Cristen

by

This past Thursday marked the celebration of yet another wacky holiday – National Dare Day. And it got me thinking… what exactly is a dare? Is it simply doing something outside your comfort zone, or is there more meaning behind it? These questions have led me to chose dare as this week’s weekend word.

dare
der/

verb

  1. have the courage to do something.
  2. defy or challenge (someone) to do something.

noun

  1. a challenge, especially to prove courage.

A dare is a challenge that takes a person with a lot of courage to complete.  A person willing to go outside their comfort zone and do something brave. When we were kids this equated to eating something gross or telling your crush you liked them. And there were multiple layers of seriousness to those dares ranging from a regular dare to double dog dare and ultimately, the dare made infamous by that iconic scene in A Christmas Story – the Triple Dog Dare. It’s the dare that absolutely must be completed, lest you spend the rest of your days being known as the wuss of the group.

Now that we’re older, dare begins to take on more meaning. Rather than daring to do a specific task, it becomes more inanimate. “Dare to be different.” “Dream big and dare to fail.” “Those who dare truly live.” As adults, we often associate the word dare with inspiration to tackle a huge undertaking, such as accomplishing a long-time goal, making self-improvements, etc.  But this inspiration is also often seen in schools and classrooms, daring children to grow up and be their true selves; to try hard to achieve their dreams.

That’s exactly what the students at our school do every day. They dare to be greater than they were the day before. The muster up the courage to leave a life on the street, and all that they are familiar with, in order to gain an education that will provide them with the tools they need to live a better life. They are living the dare every day, and you can help by making a donation to help even more students lift themselves from poverty to prosperity.

Go ahead, I triple dog dare you…
Cristen

by

I’ll never forget the day I met Father Muggaga and when he first shared the stories of the plights young orphaned women in Uganda were facing. I was so inspired to take action and help in any way I could; and thus Hope for Hearts was created. For years we have worked tirelessly to continue in our mission to help children living in conflicted areas lift themselves up from poverty to prosperity through education.

There are many reasons that bring these children to our school. Some may have been orphaned after losing their families to the AIDS epidemic; others lost family due to the war and conflict spread throughout the country. Earlier this week I was reminded of yet another reason children, particularly young girls, are in need of our services.

On May 14, the New York Times posted an article exposing the many allegations of rape, sexual harassment, and women who were impregnated then abandoned by Ugandan forces. Their stories are truly heartbreaking. In addition to the accusations of sexual abuse, several Ugandan soldiers promised to provide for young girls they met if they birthed a child. Lacking the ability to provide even basic necessities such as soap for themselves, the young girls entered into these relationships for the chance at a better life. Sadly, shortly after being impregnated, many of these girls found themselves abandoned and alone yet again.

You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/14/world/africa/joseph-kony-lords-resistance-army-uganda.html

Their stories leave me deeply saddened to hear that these struggles are still abundant in Uganda. However, it has also added to fuel to the fire which continues to light my passion for providing assistance to Ugandan children in need. Just as our priests and nuns in Uganda will never stop searching the streets for children in need, and providing them with the best educational opportunities available to lift themselves from poverty to prosperity; we too cannot give up the fight to continue providing resources necessary to make these efforts possible.

If, like me, this article has had a profound impact on you, I highly encourage you to be a part of the change by making a donation to help more young women lift themselves from poverty to prosperity.

With Courage, Passion and Gratitude,
Cristen

by

We talked a little about Nevada’s Big Give in last week’s post on Incredible Kid Day. I want to follow up and remind you that it’s time to give where you live during Nevada’s Big Give, a 24-hour online crowdfunding event that rallies community support for Nevada’s charitable causes. We know you have several charities to choose from, but now more than ever we need your support.

By choosing to donate to Hope for Hearts during Nevada’s Big Give, you’re not only supporting a local Las Vegas-based non-profit; you’re furthering the “give where you live” spirit to a global perspective by lifting orphaned children in Uganda from poverty to prosperity through education.

Every donation, large or small, supports our mission to educate up from poverty to prosperity. Here are just a few examples of where your money goes!

  • $25 provides two children a month of meals
  • $120 purchases a sewing machine
  • $240 one child, one year of education
  • $625 feeds 50 for a month
  • $1,200 sponsors five children for the entire year

On top of your financial contribution, your donation helps increase our organization’s chances of winning one of several prizes up for grabs for charities that raise the most money, furthering your donation even more!

If you need more reason’s to donate, take a look back at our blog post Top 10 Reasons to Support Hope for Hearts During Nevada’s Big Give.

Click here to make a donation now!

DONATE TODAY

Gratefully Yours,
Cristen

by

Today marks another special holiday – Absolutely Incredible Kids Day. Created by Camp Fire, this holiday aims to tell kids around our nation how absolutely incredible they are by praising them with encouragement and inspiration. The power of praising children is often underestimated in my opinion, and why confine it to just our nation? We believe this holiday should be spread internationally, because there’s some incredible kids all across the world!

To celebrate, we’d like to share a few profiles of prosperity of some of our absolutely incredible kids who are now alumnae.

Najjuuko Resty “Kalisizo”

Kalisizo’s mother died of HIV/AIDS and her father spent his time drinking in bars. She worked for free as a maid and lived on the streets of Kampala, begging by day and prostituting by night. Father Mugagga Lule found Kalisizo and sent her to St. Elizabeth Girls’ Academy where she received counseling and entered the seamstress in training program. After passing required exams, friends of Father Mugagga bought Kalisizo her own sewing machine.

From a maid and prostitute to entrepreneur and seamstress – Kalisizo is now a self-employed seamstress, living in St. Balikuddembe and an absolutely incredible kid!

Nassonko Kirabo Annet

Annet lost her father at an early age and was raised in poverty in a slum called Ndeeba. Her family could not afford to pay for school and she was forced to abandon her education. Annet wanted to learn so she went to St. Elizabeth Girls’ Academy looking to better her life. She received counseling and entered the catering vocation.

From dropout to caterer – Annet is now working as a waitress and caterer at Best Hotel Busega and is an absolutely incredible kid! 

These are just two of the hundreds of lives we have changed. You can help support more absolutely incredible kids by making a donation to Hope for Hearts now through March 23 during Nevada’s Big Give.

 

DONATE TODAY

Nevada’s Big Give is a 24-hour online crowdfunding event created to rally community support for Nevada’s charitable causes. There are prizes up for grabs for charities that raise the most money, and your support could help us win and serve even more children. So make your pledge now, or set a reminder to donate on March 23 and help us support our absolutely incredible kids at Hope for Hearts.

With Gratitude,
Cristen