This past month, we said goodbye to several of our faithful board members and welcomed two new members to the board. Past board members were a big part of making events like banquets and Woven Evenings happen, hosting volunteer celebration nights, and so much more. While they left some big shoes to fill, we are excited for…
Lent is traditionally a season of preparation – a time to re-examine our habitual actions, hungers, and ways of looking at the world. It is a time when the church has focused particularly on generosity and justice. This year, we invite you to join us on a Lenten journey—whether by yourself, with your family, or…
Dostoyevsky famously said, “Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.” And although the events of the past year have sparked a wave of selfless generosity and courage, much of the past year has also felt like a reckoning. The poverty of our love and our imagination; the poverty…
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…
This month we asked each staff member to submit one book, article, or podcast that has been especially meaningful to them in 2020. Here is what they said: Anna: “I love this podcast, it is a go-to for me.” Eva: “Normally I read a lot of variety of books, but this year it has…
Recently one of our staff has been sharing photos with us of traditional African textiles. While Africa is now known for its bright, exquisite wax-printed fabrics, for many centuries the intricate art of weaving on hand looms has also been a large part of their textile heritage. As we read through descriptions of the laborious…
This December, we are reflecting on all the gifts that this most unusual year as held. We have seen this year simultaneously challenge, stretch, discourage, and inspire innovation and creativity, both for us here at Loom and social innovators across East Africa. Today we invite you to celebrate twelve of the many gifts of 2020…
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…
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…
