My neighborhood group in Algonquin (a suburb of Chicago) has partnered with the village of Gambella, Kenya through GHNI, and it amazes me. I want to cry every time I tell people about these amazing human beings on the other side of the globe who have decided they want their village to be different.  And they are actually DOING it!  It’s Beautiful.

When we had our video call with Wubshet and Habiba (GHNI Kenyan staff) and the elders in Gambella, my heart about jumped out of my chest.  Seeing the school, which was absolutely their first priority, where children are learning, growing, and changing the future of their village brought tears to my eyes.  When they talked about the cash crops they had just sold, I was speechless.

To see these people conquering their poverty is beyond humbling.  It’s BEAUTIFUL!

Then my oldest daughter Macy got an idea.  She sat for two days creating duct tape purses, wallets and phone holders to raise money for the building projects in Gambella this summer.  The making part was really fun – ripping apart the sticky stuff in all different colors to create designs, pockets and accessories.  She and her friend Rachel sat for HOURS!

Then came the trickier part: selling.  Macy is a quiet girl.  She isn’t one to holler out and draw attention.  The plan was to set up a little stand next to my booth at the farmer’s market.  So once the pasta booth was up, we arranged a makeshift table out of ‘leftover’ stuff from my booth.  A basket flipped over on top of a plastic bin was the centerpiece, with two prettier upside-down bins beside.  The little duct tape creations lay displayed – smaller ones for a dollar, bigger ones for four.

Away she went.  Macy, who is 10, and her 5 year old sister, Abigail, sat at that stand from 7:30 in the morning until 1:00 pm (sometimes fighting over who got the big chair, of course!).  Macy would tell me, “MOM, make sure to send your customers over here when they’re done!”  Little by little she would tell the story, “We’re helping a village in Kenya.”  Dollar by dollar, hour by hour, Macy and Abigail sat.  They chatted with people about Gambella and their fabulous duct tape creations.

When the last customer of the day asked, “How much is this one?” Macy replied, “Four dollars, but would you consider giving six so I could end at an even $100 for the day?”  I about FELL OVER!  Little did she know Abigail had a wad of five dollars in her hand.   So the two ended the day with $105 raised for Gambella projects this summer, and a mom that was so proud, she still can’t stop talking about it.

That is beautiful!

by Mary Lossau