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…
In each community Loom engages, we discover extraordinary people. They have emerged from the same circumstances as those around them. Some were refugees from wars, others were orphans, others knew the nightly pain of going to bed hungry. Some walked miles to school and never saw a library until they were a teenager. Yet they…
After decades of aid all over the globe, the overwhelming reality is: it hasn’t worked. Nearly 1,000 children under age 5 still die every day from contaminated water and poor sanitation. Each year, close to 4 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to household air pollution. Hunger still kills more people every year than…
This Zulu greeting has been on our tongues and in our hearts for much of the past ten years. It literally means “I see you.” More than words of politeness, sawubona carries the importance of recognizing the worth and dignity of each person. It says, “I see the whole of you—your experiences, your passions, your…
“In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn…let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” – John Lewis Around the world, we have paused…
It is not difficult to see the impact that COVID is making on the world. Every single day brings new stories and information that can send anyone into a personal landslide. The world is in a frenzied state where most information is unknown and heartbreak remains the title of all headlines. In the midst of…
Remember March? That small space in time where the world slowly screeched to a halt? Most of us at Loom happened to be in Tanzania as it unfolded, launching our first official small business training with a cohort of 27 social innovators. When we returned to lockdowns and closed borders, we knew it was time…
It started on a whim. While planning the first few Celebrating Children Workshops, Loom staff Janna Moats and Heather Wood were discussing their desire to have children in the classroom. Wouldn’t it be great, they thought, if we could keep visually reminding people to acknowledge and celebrate children throughout the week? If we could model…
Monica Zherebnenko has been interning with us remotely for the past month and it’s been a joy to have her on the team. Read our recent interview and get to know her! Tell us a little bit about yourself! Hello! My name is Monica Zherebnenko! I usually tend to start off my introductions the…
It may be harder than ever to ignore that the world is full of hard, painful, messed-up things. And for many who work in hurting and vulnerable communities, this may feel like just one more crisis to add to the growing list of needs that never seem to end. But science has become increasingly convincing…
