Graduation for Zubirii project

Blog Zubiri graduation and God’s provisions:

So on October 13th 2015 we graduated our 1st class in the Zubiri project.  Zubiri means strong in Swahili and the ladies named this course. It’s our 16-week business and psychosocial support for cross boarder trafficking survivors.    Looking back at the beginning and know I am just so blessed by all the transformations of both the girls and staff and myself.   The growth and bonds that were made are just so exciting to see. The 4 ladies became friends opened up and shared their lives with each other.  We have touched each other by the stories we shared, the strong holds we broke and learning the lies that the enemy would want us to hold on to.  All which are being broken and the love of Jesus is taking its place.   We had challenges along the way and at the time I was a bit worried, but God never fails and victory has taken over. I had lost my business person mid way through the program and for the last 2 months I didn’t think we were going to be following through with our plans of helping the ladies start business’s Well here’s the game changer, I really prayed and a couple of things happened. Then I had to change my plans on visiting the states. I thought I was going to go in January and the work we were going to do in November, changed to January. So I need to go home in November, which is hard because the girls just graduated and who will walk them through the businesses and insure they are getting the help they need……… Seriously GOD shows up, after each time I surrender it to him.

            The girls learned a skill and how to sell a product after making beaded handbags. Because I was introduced to this lady who made them the day after my businessperson was done.

            We worked on pearl jewelry and learned how to pay it forward by making a product that will go out to other women in trafficking situations as well as all proceeds to go help the next set of girls in the program.

            I had been praying that God would bring me someone who would do the business training who had been trafficked, had a business and was passionate about the girls. After I got done I had a message on my phone from our past participant Doreen and it hit me, she’s the one she has been in our program and has had a towel business for the last 2 years.  She is completely on board and excited to be empowering and giving back. (to me this feels like success because we have empowered her)

            Then I reached out to the expat community and met with a lady that does business training in Uganda and Kenya, she has a close friend Harriett so in meeting Harriett, she teaches the same curriculum as our 1st business trainer and she had been in northern Uganda during Kony and had been abducted as a youth and is passionate about empowering women. She is walking through business with Serena.

            Then one of our therapist tells the girls that she has a craft shop that she would rent out ½ of the space for them and they could do that for there business. But here’s the real story, in January she was looking to sell the shop and each time she got close it fell through so she thought ok not right now, then she starts teaching this class and 3 weeks ago tells the girls that she will let them rent and do business. So the other 3 ladies will be working at how to collaborate and work together in this partnership.  She shared this story at graduation how God just didn’t let her sell so that the girls can have it.

                  Now I feel ok to go to the states and trust the team I have and the girls have someone who they can personally lean on

At graduation

God moments in these 18 weeks I have been with the ladies.

 Nina who at 1st was late and didn’t take this program seriously and had trouble with sleeping and pot and just wanting to return to the old life. 

Along the way she would report changes and triumphs she overcame, but the biggest was at graduation when she told us I feel empowered and that I have rights. This is so huge to hear because women don’t feel that here. They all agreed that they had no idea they had the right to choose how to be treated by others, that you can make changes in your life.   Also to report Nina is no longer doing pot.

Ruth how said she doesn’t like people and can’t trust people found friendships and love she said from both the staff and the friendships she made with the ladies her and Nina are now sharing a place together.

            Serena was able to get on birth control and work through the stigma of it with her husband who was not happy at all.

            Eva has been able to stand up to her ex husband and demand the rights she is given to receive child support. She may never get it, but at least she is able to pursue it in a civil manner and gain confidence.

            This project was not ran by me alone, I have an incredible staff who were pretty rocked as well as they worked on themselves during this time. I had them work through a trauma healing class and they to realized the strong holds and challenges they could over come.  I could not have done this with out them.

I also have one last note: each time we depart class the ladies catch a ride w/ me and I drop them at the taxi area. When they leave my car I ask them all what are the rules. And they tell me, no sex, no drugs, no drinking ONLY JESUS.  It may seem silly to some but it was our silly way of encouraging each other and hold each other accountable.

In the year prior to this program I prayed for these girls that I had yet to meet and asked God to provide the ones he new he had great plans for.  And who’s lives we could feed into and journey with a lifetime, I am excited to be doing life with these 4 ladies and I can’t wait to see what HE has in store for them. Continue to pray over them as they go out into the world and do business.