MOSAIC DESIGNS: creating beauty out of brokeness

About 2 years ago, I had a dream to start something called Mosaic Designs. The motto would be "creating beauty out of brokenness". The idea would be to take creations (artwork, crafts, jewelry, bags, photography, etc), sell them, and use the funds to support programs that are restoring the lives of young women across the world. We can all be involved in creating, selling, or buying. Part of the dream is to see women (of all ages) in North America linked with women (of all ages) in another part of the world. While all of that is still in the works, I am beginning to do this on a very small scale.

This past year, I had the PRIVILEGE to work with two very special groups of girls in KITALE, KENYA. My friends at Transformed International, gave me an opportunity to work with the NEEMA PROJECT and the SHIMO PROJECT. The NEEMA girls are a group of teenage girls who were either living on the streets or at risk of heading to the streets to lead of life of prostitution and begging. These girls have been given an opportunity to live in a home with other girls (a total of 6) like themselves and be provided with education and training in a trade. I have written alot about them in the past on this blog. The SHIMO girls are a group of teenage mothers living in the Shimo Slums in Kitale. I spent two months earlier this year working on sewing projects of sorts with the girls and they continued working and sewing even after I left. The hope was to bring their creations back to sell here in America to raise funds to expand these programs.

TOMORROW we begin with our first sale in PENNSYLVANIA.

THE GOAL: To raise $40,000 to build:

• a house of their own for the NEEMA PROJECT
• a school/trade school for the NEEMA/SHIMO PROJECT

All of this is being done in partnership with Transformed International. I LOVE this organization and I trust this organization. 100% of everything we raise goes directly to them for the expansion of these projects. Transformed International has the land and is ready to begin. They never asked us to do any of this, but once you spend time there you want to something and they have kindly allowed us to work with them on this, and many other, projects.

If you would like to be a part of making this happen, please contact me. We are looking for:

• places to share the vision
• places to sell (home parties, craft shows, women's retreats, churches, small groups, schools, colleges, businesses, etc)
• people who want to be involved

Thank you for your involvement and for taking the time to care for these girls. Please read previous posts to learn more about them or visit Transformed International's website.

The next sales will be:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29th from 8am-2pm at West Chester University, Sykes Building

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1st from 9am-7pm at West Chester University, Sykes Building

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4th at ELCO HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY FAIR

Hope to see some of you there!