Where We Are

Well, it's been a long time since I've updated the blog. Why? Well, remember I said I was moving full steam ahead? I've been so busy forming APF that I haven't had a lot of time to update the blog. I have been so blessed to come up with our initial board of directors. African Promise Foundation is now rolling! A little background on what we are doing................APF will work with women in Northern Uganda who make beautiful necklaces out of paper. Each bead is hand rolled and when looking at them you would never guess it was made from paper! By creating jobs that help lift women out of poverty, we estimate that between 20-30 people are affected. How? Women tend to care for those around them. That means if one women is financially stable she will spread her income around to those she loves. Maybe it's her brothers orphaned children, her father, her sister and her family. We have a unique opportunity to possibly work with an organization called Paper to Pearls (papertopearls.org). Barbara Moller, their founder had the same vision I had only 4 years earlier. We are hoping to begin working with her as she already has 3 cooperatives of women making beads for her organization. One of the co-ops is made up of a group of formerly abducted child mothers. After beads are brought to the US, APF will sell the beads at a higher cost. Profits will then be spent on orphan care and other worthy projects in the same women's communities. We are so excited about our new relationship with Paper to Pearls. Barbara will be flying out to Seattle next month to meet with us. Other exciting news! We were able to sell our jewelry at Sassy Mei Boutique two weekends in October and November. I am happy to say that we almost sold out! We generated $1600 dollars. We are now working on getting more product for Christmas. The most exciting news is our upcoming trip to Uganda. In January, our board will travel to Uganda with Paper to Pearls founder Barbara Moller. There we will establish our work and set up operations. We are hoping to bring home 2000 pieces of jewelry. When we return home we will start our web store, begin doing home parties, boutique and craft shows as well as seek retail outlets to sell at. We really believe that we are different from other charities because we are not completely dependant on donations. We generate income just like a business does and more exciting, we create jobs for impoverished women. Don't get me wrong, we gladly accept donations, but we don't fully rely on them which sets us apart. I have also been working hard on getting jewelry here by December 1st. We won't have a lot, but I'm hoping to have 200 pieces, much of which will be bracelets. We will be getting quite a variety including chunky beads which is new to APF. I'll post a picture of the anticipated items. We are seeking volunteers! Do you want to help? Please contact us at suzy@africanpromisefoundation.org, or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you. Stay tuned to this blog as it transforms into APF's official blog with a new look!

Acholi Beads for Sale!

Help support HIV+ women and orphans in Uganda!

Here I Go!

It's been awhile. I'v had time to think, to process and to mourn. I've now arrived at the next phase of my African Adventure. When I set out on this journey I thought that I was "serving" people, trying to help others who needed my help. What I've found though, is that although I do make a difference in others lives, it is my life who has changed more then theirs. When I go to the store and see shelves lined with food, I remember the people in Keyo IDP camp bare boned and hungry. When I tuck my kids in at night, I think of Joseph, no mom or dad to hug and kiss him while he is wrapped snugly in bed. When I send my kids to school, I think of Alex, 21 years old, double orphaned, trying to round up school fees to finish High School. My world has changed. From these experiences I've drawn the courage to start African Promise Foundation. I'm laying the ground work and moving full steam ahead. A good friend will be filing the 501c3 non-profit paper work. I'm hoping to have a BYU business team help me with a business plan. I'm looking for committed board members. Are you interested? I also need a Treasurer/Secretary with money management experience. Many people have mentioned to me that I am one of the busiest people they know. Yes, I am busy, but who's not! My youngest is headed to school this year. Thehouse may never be as clean as it could and the yard a tidy, but while the kids are in school I'll spend much of my time working on African Promise. We will be focusing on child sponsorship and women's business development. I just can't forget it guys. Now that I've seen, I must do!
africanpromisefoundation.org

My African Promise: For Tiger

It has taken me a long time to post about much of my trip. It has been very difficult to talk about some of the things I've seen because of the weight it has left around my neck. I will continue to post about Africa, but as this is the last official post about my June trip I am ready to talk about Tiger. Tiger is an old man who lives in Keyo IDP camp. After seeing a large group of Americans in the camp, he descended upon us quite forcefully. He began to speak to us in a very angry voice. He said, "You must go back and tell America, tell Obama about my people. I am angry, very angry. Why has the world not seen the suffering of my people, we have suffered for so long!" This continued for some time and all of us watched this beautiful man as he poured his heart out to us. I had no answers for him. So, with tears streaming down my face I promised Tiger that I would tell the people. I promised that I would not forget him. I cannot and will not. I now set out on the next phase of my African journey. I'm not sure where that is leading to. In some ways I feel ready to start a non-profit focusing my energy and attention on needs I saw while there. In other ways I'm too scared to do it. I don't have a clue how to run a business! Either way, I won't forget and I will keep my promise. So, to those I actually converse with. I'm sorry for the amount of time you have to listen to me talk about Africa, but now you know why. I made a promise, one that I intend to keep. If you want to make that promise too, the door is open.

A Tribute To My Son

While in Uganda I was adopted by several wonderful kids. One of them is Joseph. Joseph is a double orphan, both of his parents died when he was young. He is now about 14. The first day I was in Uganda I visited an orphan boarding school. A group of kids were playing soccer with a ball made out of grocery sacks. I asked if I could play and I ended up on Joseph's team. We had this great connection and made some great combination plays. I continued to spend time with him during my stay before the team arrived. It has been hard to even write about this because I'm not sure if anyone can understand how deeply the connection became during my 3 week trip. Leaving him is one of the hardest things I have ever done. On my last day he came to visit me at the hostel with another sweet boy. I told them I would pay for their ride if they could get there. I had a big suprise for Joseph. Joseph loves soccer and his dream was to play on a team. I had arranged for him to be on a Kampala Kids League team and one of their staff was there to meet Joseph and offer him a spot. Joseph was elated and I had my video camera catching it all on tape. The KKL coach asked Joseph if he had cleats and he said no. I was so happy to tell Joseph, on the spot that I had a pair waiting for him in the room. Joseph was so thrilled, but shortly after shared the concern that he would have no transport to get to the practices on Saturdays and Sundays. I had forgotten about that problem during the excitement of planning the suprise. All I had left was $30 USD so I gave that to him to get started. I call Joseph every Sunday morning to ask him how his practices went. Now, he has run out of money and has not been able to go. It breaks my heart when I talk to him to think that for $4.00 a weekend this boy could realize his dream. I am working on getting money to him now and I've pledged to pay for his transport to soccer from now on. I was very sad when I got home and still have difficulty talking about him without getting emotional. He wrote a special letter to Shawn asking him to be his father. Although I don't think Shawn is ready for a commitment like that, he suggested that we get him over here for a long visit. We are now working on that. I miss all of those boys. My motherly heart aches for them. I became attached quickly and deeply and it's hard for me to explain. At times I've felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I have several kids that I am now supporting, and several others that I've been finding sponsors for. Sometimes I just feel like things are so heavy. That's when I've really felt support from people around me. I've told God that I can't do this alone and he continues to send others to help me bless the lives of the children I met. I don't know what will happen with Joseph, but he has changed my life forever and I love him deeply.

The Team in Our Africa Dresses

Baby Legs and Calle Shirts

I haven't mentioned much soccer, but we did play a lot of games and hosted several clinics. We gave out Baby Legs and Calle shirts as prizes and they were a hit!