For many of the Karamojong women who first came to our gate, the open hand was the only tool they had ever been given — stretched out on the streets of Jinja, asking passers-by for a coin or a scrap of food. The basket weaving circles exist to put a different tool in those same hands.
From begging to making
Twice a week, women gather in the shade to weave. Older women who learned the craft in Karamoja teach those who never had the chance, and within a few weeks a beginner can produce a basket good enough to sell at market. The baskets are bright, sturdy and genuinely beautiful — and every one that sells puts money directly into a mother’s hands.
The income is modest, but its meaning is not. A woman who earns her own wage can buy her own food, pay a portion of a school fee, and walk home with her dignity intact.
“I used to beg with this hand. Now I weave with it, and my children eat from what I have made.” — a member of the weaving circle
More than an income
The circle is also a fellowship. As the women weave, they pray, sing, share their burdens and study the Word together. The work of the hands and the healing of the heart happen side by side — which is exactly how we believe sustainable change takes root.
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