Adila

“Due to the new inflation, we can’t afford to sew anything to sell here. No one can buy it. Many people are going hungry. But we are committed to providing work for these women. We’re going to have to work on an international market venue.”

I agree. Whereas four years ago the team could buy food cards to give out to the refugees for 25 of the local currency, now the same card costs 100. And that only covers the cost of 1900 grams of baby formula. Before it would also buy diapers, beans, rice, tomato paste, flour, oil and milk. Everyone, locals, refugees, travelers, everyone is staggered by the recent hike in taxes and the incredible inflation. We all know its the unique struggle this nation is going through, due to leadership issues, but our work is centered on helping these women, and we’re not giving up.

Until we can get this Freedom business off the ground and employ these women, we continue the distribution, but we have to pay more to buy higher value cards. Our team has seen these babies change from lifeless and sickly to children who can learn and resist disease. It’s a worthwhile investment.

“I’m super grateful for that recent donation for the sewing machines,” she goes on, “it’s going to shift everything. We have the teacher, this country produces some of the best cloth on earth, and we have women who are eager to learn. It’s a match made in heaven.”

And heaven is smiling, I feel. These are women who have each been widowed and left with three or more children, mostly girls. Men are always trying to buy their daughters as fourth wives. Nasty men whom I would like to box about the ears, but don’t, so that I can maintain my visa. By empowering these women to provide for themselves and their children, they will be able to move to safe neighborhoods, put their girls in school, afford the uniforms, and set a new course for their lives. Not one of them chose to be a widow when they were a child. This is something that happened to them because wicked leaders chose to fund ISIS and promote evil.

Since we are empowered to bring the Kingdom of God to bear in tangible responses I’m eager to see this one get started. Next week we go shopping for cloth. The prototype patterns are chosen. We even have three women in three sizes chosen to model the pants on.

But today we’re getting the sewing machines, and I couldn’t be more excited! A new future! Hurrah!