it's the most wonderful time of the year

I wanted to tell y'all a little bit about our No.41 Christmas party. These little yo-yos are my favorite people on the whole planet.

But let me go back a bit. 

The reason we were having our party so early is because Alison is going home to Texas for Christmas this Thursday. Many of our university girls are in exams and we got the word the day before that the only day they would be free was last Thursday.

So, Alison and I scrambled around and wrapped 24 gifts that had all been donated by her sweet friends. We were going to teach the girls to play Dirty Santa. Tina donated 3 cakes for the occasion and we sent a couple of girls on a mission to track down 30 Fantas.

We made snowflakes and paper garland and put the finishing touches on this bad boy:

Leo, our sweet neighbor, built the tree, I made a fabric garland and yarn bombed the trunk, Alison made the yarn pompoms and Tina donated the lights. We kinda love it.

So, I guess we were all set.

The girls were giddy at the Dirty Santa concept. They loved getting to pick out the perfect gift.

It was no easy process, they picked them up, shook them, smelled them...so cute! And then they went back to their seats tore them and everyone cheered and clapped!

Not a single one stole a gift. 

I'm here to tell you, I would have snatched Louisa's scarf or Zawadi's bag in a heartbeat. I asked Fanny why no one was stealing and she said, we all knew everyone was so happy to have their gift and no one would want to take it from them.

They were all painting each others nails, passing around tubes of lipgloss, trading out headbands, dividing up bracelets. They are pretty perfect. And then...

The cake came out and the singing began. Alison orchestrated the sweet surprise and then the girls took it to the next level. (If I was smarter I could upload the video.) These little beauties sang Happy Birthday in four languages, twice. They danced and showered me with flowers. They gave me four hard-boiled eggs?

So, the coming year is looking pretty good.

How did I get to be so blessed?? 

My cup runneth over.

**all photos by the lovely and talented, Alison Holcomb.

a bit of backtracking

I wanted to do some backtracking a bit; tell you how far No.41 has come and then what's next for us. I'm realizing now, that I sometimes assume that everyone knows our story, so just in case you don't, I'm going to start from the beginning. Kinda.

This time last year, after living at the orphanage for six months, I had a pretty lengthy list of annoyances. Things that would never fly at home and areas that I felt maybe I could make some small difference. After a lot of prayer and seeking wise counsel, I decided that my heart was with the, often forgotten, oldest girls at the orphanage (ages 18-24). Most of these girls had finished secondary school, but didn't have the money for university, and had no real life or jobs skills to get them out of the orphanage, so they sat in their rooms all day. Every day. It was important to me not just to be able to teach these girls a culturally relevant trade, but to show them that their life has value, that they were created for a purpose. We all have God-given gifts and talents and with that, we are all called to give back. And that's how the feeding program was born.

In our village, we have 4 main public schools. The primary (elementary) students all go half-day, so most will either eat lunch before or after school. The secondary students (Jr. High and High school) go all day, 7a-3p, and most don't eat lunch. The schools can't afford to provide food, but they do offer a 20-minute break, so any students that live close enough can go home to eat. Most do not. The effects of not eating a healthy lunch are far-reaching, not just on the body, but on the developing mind. How different would the education system here be if these kids could focus on their studies and not their growling bellies?

Soooo, there you go. So much of what we do now has developed over time. Had I known all of this would be on, what feels like, my shoulders, I would have run the other way. Even the small amount I did know felt like too much, which is why the business is called No.41, meaning FOR ONE. We are doing this thing one at time. That's what I tell myself, anyway. But ONE has become 32 young women with sustainable jobs. ONE has become 17 girls enrolled in university. ONE has become 650 students eating a hot, healthy lunch starting in January.

When this business began, we had very little money, a small dream, and a whole lot of faith. Today, nine months later, we have very little money, a large and growing dream, and even more faith. We have seen God move mountains for the girls and these children, but there is still a long way to go. And we need your help. Here's where we are heading over the next few months: A $41,000 campaign to continue changing lives! (Yes, $41,000 was a happy accident.) The breakdown looks like this:

Living expenses $4000 (through July)

University fees and boarding (4 girls/one year)$6,000

Sewing school

Rent 2 houses (one year) $6,000

Machines and chairs (13) $1,700

Furniture (workspace/storage) $1500

Burlap $2000 (1month)

Screen-printing supplies $500

Hire sewing instructor (1month) $500

Shipping (bags from Rwanda to US) $2000

Marketing

Website $500

Tags for bags $900

Feed Program

12 Ovens $1000

Cooking staff (one year) $6000

Pots and pans/dishes (for 750) $1500

Cafeteria furniture $2000

I know many of your are preparing for the holidays and a campaign like this seems daunting, but every little bit helps. Every single dollar goes so far. Maybe you could get together with a few friends and buy a sewing machine ($116) or two, or maybe your lifegroup could team up to raise funds and pay university fees for one girl for one year ($1500). Maybe a group of your coworkers could contribute to the website. Maybe your family is crazy (in the very best way) and you would like to set up a monthly donation to pay the salaries of the entire cook staff ($6000) for a year. I don't know what it looks like, but I believe it's possible.

I am so inspired by these girls, every day. By their passion and their, new found, hope for the future. This thing has only just begun!! You guys have been my backbone through this whole thing, whether you knew it or not. Your prayers, your encouraging words, your support, mean so much. Please keep them coming. I love you and I am so thankful for you! To make a donation click on 'donate' at the top of this page.

and so it begins...

Are y'all ready for this?! 

Maybe you should sit down. 

THIS IS HUGE!!

We've been saying it for a while,

No.41 is growing. Big and fast.

We've been telling you there are a ton of ways you can get involved.

THERE ARE!

And not just you, 

your family, 

your church, 

your small group, 

your 5th grade class, 

your mom...

Well anyway, HERE IT IS!!

Do you wanna give life with your holiday funds this year?

Let me give you a quick rundown on where your money will go:

Living expenses

Somebody's gotta run this show

$4000 (through July)

University fees and boarding 

$6,000 (4 girls/one year)

Sewing school

Rent $6,000 (2 houses/one year)

Machines and chairs (13) $1,700

Furniture (workspace/storage) $1500

Burlap $2000 (1month)

Screen-printing supplies $500

Hire sewing instructor $500 (one month)

Shipping (to US) $2000

Marketing

Website $500

Tags for bags $900

Feed Program

12 Ovens $1000

Cooking staff (one year) $6000

Pots and pans/dishes (for 750) $1500

Cafeteria furniture $2000

Yes, a few of the needs listed have been met, but we have had to 'borrow' money that is set aside for feeding to keep up with the growth.

And, maybe now would be a good time to tell y'all that there was a little miscalculation when it came to how many children we would be feeding, starting in January.

We were originally told 250.
There are 650!! 

We are moving forward in faith. We know God has plans to bless so many!

We would love for y'all to partner with us.

We need your partnership.

You are providing:
food, jobs, education, homes, and most of all HOPE.

Jump in! Anywhere! 

There is no gift too large or too small!!

Click on that donate link at the top of this page.

And don't hesitate to share with your friends.

We looooove you!

 

here we grow

Oh my word. 

We have been believing God for some pretty big things around here and, y'all, we are so excited to share what He's been up to.

First of all, if you haven't already heard, No.41 has funded our first full year of meals for our first local school!! Meaning, the girls have sold 250+ bags and, in turn, provided a hot, healthy school lunch to an entire secondary school, everyday, for an entire year! We will begin providing meals when the new school year starts in January. Holla!

Second, last week, we enrolled sixteen girls in university! That is half of our little muffin heads!

Holy moly.

The average total cost of university is $1,500/yr, per girl and His Chase is so graciously helping with the funding. We could not be more thankful. Six of our girls are at universities out of town, all over Rwanda, and ten are studying here in Gisenyi. Although school is now their number one priority, we are excited that these (10) girls will continue working, limited hours, at No.41 and will be able to contribute to their education. That's huge!

Third... we are expanding! As in, we got a specifically designated workspace for No.41!

A few months ago, our landlord decided to build a house in our backyard. Typically, that might be weird, but we snagged that puppy up and we should be able to move in on Friday! Space has become a major issue for us, which is crazy when I think back a few months, to just me wondering what in the world I was going to do with this huge 5 bedroom house. Six months, 32 employees, 10 sewing machines, and nearly 20 house guests later, we are out of space.

Which brings us to, number four, we are letting go of the bead making, buying 22 new sewing machines, bringing back our favorite teacher, Medi, and every girl will now be sewing!

With the new house, solely dedicated to working, we will have space for 32 machines! Everyone is stoked about this. This means more bags for y'all and more money for the chickadees. (The girls make a commission on what they sell and we have always sold more bags than beads.) Glo.ry!

Now, here's where you come in. We will be launching a major fundraising campaign later this month, where we are going to break down all of the ways you can be involved, but in true No.41 fashion, we have gotten way ahead of ourselves (or way behind, if you're not into looking on the bright side).

Soooo, if you would like to contribute to the university fund, or help cover house expenses (rent is $140/month), or purchase a sewing machine ($150) please follow the link on the top right hand side of the blog (second photo down, 'donate here'). There is a drop down menu with my name (tara clapper, nice to meet you). His Chase has recently updated their giving provider, so if you have donated before it doesn't look familiar, don't worry.

Y'all there aren't words for what is happening here. And none of this is possible without you. Thank you so much for your prayers, your love, and your support. We truly are changing our small little corner of the world.

Stay tuned for much more, coming very soon!

PS all of the photos are taken by, the very talented, Alison Holcomb. A couple of them are outtakes from a recent photo shoot for the website. We can't wait to show you more! To check out Alison's view of our little world, you can visit her here.

Round 2

Happy Tuesday!

And a very happy Tuesday it is!

We got the call yesterday that 3 of our little bugs have been selected to go for English testing and interviews at The Akilah Women's Institute on Friday!

Passy, Amelie and Diane

I mean, I suppose we're not surprised, they are pretty stinking amazing.

But, if you're the praying type, we would love for you to join us in prayer for our sweet loves.

The interview is Friday morning at 9am (that's probably Thursday evening for most of you).

Here's a little blurb about Akilah:

Akilah empowers young women in East Africa to transform their lives by equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to find meaningful employment and launch ventures in the fastest growing sectors of the economy.

  Go babies, Go!

boss.

Happy Wednesday!

or is it Thursday?

Either way, we're talking bucket list today.

44. Be the boss.

Technically, around these parts, I'm the boss.

I'm the boss who can't sew.

I'm the boss that sets her alarm for 7:30, when work starts at 8.

I'm the boss whose eyes shoot open at 7:15, thinking I overslept, but realizing that my living room is full of beautifully overachieving worker bees and humming sewing machines.

I'm the boss. Lord, help us.

44. Be the boss.

Meet the Newbies

You've gotta move quick around here!
These two girls just started the school on Monday and it looks like they may already have sponsors. Holla!

Angel

I mean, beautiful inside and out is the best way to describe Angel. She was attending school with a couple of our girls and they asked if she could join. I am so excited to have her.

Angel is 24 years old and is the youngest of four children; she has three older brothers. When their mother died in childbirth, their father was raising all four children on his own until 1998 when he suddenly died of an unknown illness. Angel was 10 years when she and her brothers went to live with their aunt.

Angel has finished secondary school and hopes to continue her studies at a university in America. She would like to study journalism or tourism, but in the meantime, she would also like to work at the airport. Stamping passports. :)

Angel is happy to be learning at the sewing school. If she makes so much money, she is going to buy a house for her aunt. She would like to increase her sewing business to earn even more money and solve many of her problems.

She is so so happy to have a sponsor. She knows you will be very nice to her. She wants to call you her family, because she has no one in her life and she wishes to be a good child for you. She thanks God and she loves you so much.

Sandrine

Oh, I am so excited to have Sandrine in the sewing school. Her dad is the gatekeeper at the orphanage and he is one of my favs. (I think because he plays hard to get.) He is one of those strong, silent types. Until one day, he came and asked me if his daughter could come learn to sew. He lit up and he has been glowing ever since.

Sandrine is one of seven children. At 23 years old, she is the oldest, followed by an 18 year old, 16, 15, 14, 13, and a 12 year old. Whew. Sandrine was the only child her parents could afford to put through school and she graduated in 2009. She would like to continue her studies at university and hopes to earn and accounting degree. Sandrine would like to find a job working in a bank.

The sewing school is very nice for her, because learning to sew, she will be able to help her family by making and repairing clothes. Sandrine's family of nine is currently renting the house where they live for 10,000 rwf/month ($15). She hopes that with the money she earns, she will be able to help her parents buy their own home.

Sandrine is so excited to get a sponsor. First, she would like to say thank you for your good deeds of loving her. She hopes to have a very good relationship with you.

So,there you go. The count sits a 24; quite a jump from the original 6. We will still have two more chances to sponsor, once our two sickes get back. More soon.

Thanks, yo!