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"what made you do this, and how did you get started?"
I am a 50 yr old woman, married 30 yrs, the mother of two wonderful adult children, and "Mimi" (grandmother) of one 9 yr old granddaughter and one 2 yr old grandson. I have had numerous businesses through the yrs.. and needless to say, been extrememly busy.
The prior info was written a couple years ago... circumstance and life have changed a bit for me, but I figure it's most important for you to know where I started, when this journey began!
A couple yrs ago, I took my head out of my world long enough to read a life altering book called LEFT TO TELL, DISCOVERING GOD AMIDST THE RWANDAN HOLOCAUST... BY IMMACULEE ILIBAGIZA. After many sleepless nights, and the countless hours thinking of all the horrific ongoings around the world... realized I could just go on feeling helpless.. or I could TRY TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP.
We started small, but it was a start! The start was initially with this web site to help the Rwandan geneocide survivors and after doing that for about a yr...and adding more crafts from other parts of Africa... we sold our farm tractor, in April of 2007. With the money from our tractor we opened our first shop in North Conway, NH. in May 07, just OFF Main St. Being a business of the heart, and not a big business person, I realized that we needed to move to a better location, hence making our way to MAIN ST. in Sept 07. Now if I could just find time to update this web site with all the new inventory that we have in the shop!
Immaculees book was life changing for me, and from all the people that take a stroll through the shop and have read the book, they say the same. Many people have met her as she speaks around world telling her story of faith, hope and forgiveness... and they say they were "floored" to hear her speak.
I know I look forward to that day I will finally get to meet her!
Since LEFT TO TELL, she has written her second book, LED BY FAITH, and it is just as wonderful as the first book. She has another book coming out soon. For more info please check out her site... www.immaculee.com
Immaculee.com
January 1, 2009~ It was exactly 1 year ago that our soapstone artisans in Kenya lost everything to the "post election" violence. The civil war sent the peaceful country of Kenya spiraling out of control and hundreds of thousands of people ran for their lives to refugee camps in bordering countries of Tanzania and Uganda. Many innocent people lost their lives, their homes, their livelihoods.
Joseph Obara was the founder of our soapstone group, the Fatrine Self Help group, in Kenya. This was a group formed to help eradicate poverty in their area. This group makes the most beautiful soapstone art! I found them when I was looking for soapstone to import for my Fair Trade shop, Gifts of Life~Gifts that Give Back.
We had an ongoing business relationship until the very end of 2007, when Joseph had mentioned in an email that all business had come to a standstill, because of the upcoming election Dec 27, 2007. I didn't think much about it, until around Jan 1 2008, when I started seeing reports on the news of the violence overtaking Kenya, because of the political elections that were said to be "rigged."
It was amazing how fast our relationship changed... I cannot explain how it feels to be close enough to hear families screaming for help (through computer or cell phone)... but are far enough away to feel like there is no way to help.
The race was on... God had put me in heart of this family and group for a reason and this was it. I had never had to do anything like this before... but knew I was their only hope. Joseph contacted me as soon as they safely could from a church "camp", as they could not make it to the refugee camps... it was too dangerous. The humanitarian groups we contacted could not get to them either... so they were on their own, having been burned out of their home... running with just the clothes on their backs.
Joseph emailed me from the church, on another mans laptop computer.. but the man was charging Joseph to use it... so communication was short. Joseph told me how and why this violence started and just what were the best news sources to watch, to follow the violence as it unfolded. I was glued to the computer all day, day after day. You can imagine my devastation when I learned of a church in their area that housed 60 internally displaced people, when "killers" torched it burning all 60 people alive.... and I had know way of knowing if Josephs family was in that specific church. I went through the grief for almost a week before I heard from them again.... finally learning that they were still running, but ALIVE!
READ MORE IN OUR SISTER SITE UNDER ABOUT US.
GIFTS OF LIFE CHARITIES
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I am just a real (young!) grandmother, who is heartbroken from the unrest, and horrors that face some of our sisters and brothers around the world. I am just trying to help in some way, to find outlets for others to help themselves...
Please come see us. We have so much more in the shop than has made it to the website. We are located NEXT TO THE LUNA GALLERY ON MAIN STREET.
In January 09 I formed a 501c3 non profit Gifts of Life Charities, that is my life! You are welcome to take a peek at the path that has opened up for me, since opening the shop.
www.giftsoflife.ning.com
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