When Becky Chinchen, founder of Amani, fled to Nairobi, Kenya with her family during Liberia's civil conflict in the mid-1990s, the experience of exile, grief, and loss common to refugees is what gave birth to the Amani project; a place where women affected by conflict and injustice can work together to find healing. Every month we feature great causes that empower women. One such organization is Amani ya Juu which means ‘higher peace’ in Swahili or Amahoro ava Hejuru in Kinyarwanda Amani is a skill training program for marginalized women in Africa seeking to restore hope.
Amani aims to sow seeds of peace in the hearts of women as they grow in community and in their faith together. Apart from the sewing and marketing skills they are taught, they also gain experience in management and design, book keeping, purchasing and quality control.
At Amani, the women work together through faith in God who provides higher peace that transcends ethnic differences. The peace initiative with roots in West Africa serves 70 women from 11 different countries. It portrays diversity as the women come from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and other African countries with sister centers in Rwanda, Burundi and now Liberia.
Amani Liberia was launched on May 14th with a goal to rebuild, empower and educate women to reach their full potential. For the launch, Amani Liberia held a fashion show dubbed; The Sankofa Fashion Show; a story of transformation told through fashion, dance and narrative. Sankofa means ‘looking back but moving forward’; which is Amani’s vision, to move forward and discover true worth and value despite the past, this vision also serves as Liberia’s reality.
Amani Liberia teamed up with Liberian born Korto Momolu; an international fashion designer and stylist and a runner up in Project Runway Season 5. Korto came back to Liberia after 23 years, for the Fasion show she made a 27-piece collection designed specifically for Liberia’s Fashion show. Ms.Momolu who has been featured in major international media outlets such as Essence, People Magazine and Women’s Wear Daily and she serves as a great example of the potential women have to develop their talents and obtain their dreams.
According to Amani Liberia’s contact, Kate Finley, the fashion show is to encourage and inform the people of Monrovia and around the world about Amani Liberia and the opportunity for the women of Liberia to work in peace and learn together. “We want to provide a way for women to earn an income and support their families within a positive, safe environment that restores their hearts and their sense of value. The women of Liberia are smart, strong and creative and we want to help them cultivate those qualities to reach their potential!” she said.
Amani Liberia is a peace initiative that not only teaches the women learn practical skills to improve their quality of life, they also experience God’s healing, moving them beyond their traumatic and difficult pasts.
Source : Amani ya Juu {www.amaniafrica.org}
Learn more about Amani Liberia from their blog
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