I remember visiting Sudanese refugees living in a camp in Northern Uganda a few years ago. I was unsure what to expect. There was ongoing conflict and many people caught between opposing forces had to flee, leaving their homes and lives behind. We saw people who had just walked into the refugee camps that day,…
In Arusha in February I was teaching the Healthcare module. Quite honestly I had already decided that in the big curriculum update we are in the middle of working on, we would ax some of this material. But I started to go through the basics of nutrition, going quickly through the major food groups, essential…
Relational connection is vital to ownership and multiplication. Whether it is a connection to your sports team, book club, or brand, what we bond to indeed is what we multiply and share. As people, we have a core need to belong, to be part of something greater. This is the reason that in our Celebrating…
Globally, the practice of self-care, deliberately taking care of ourselves through restorative practices, is a misunderstood, neglected and under-valued subject. Life is full and we all seem short of time. In Africa, we often hear from practitioners that days off don’t exist, that vacations are not common and that people just keep working. Among those who…
Many years ago I read an article that stuck with me. It stated that the greatest danger facing a woman in Afghanistan is to get pregnant. This fact shook me. Yet, our experience in East Africa confirms this, 87% of global maternal deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Edward, who oversees the Engikaret…
In the 1980’s there was a popular Paul Simon song, “Graceland” and from that song the Ugandan training location, Hopeland was named. At that stage, Uganda was recovering from a war that was devastating to the entire nation, after which came the HIV Aids epidemic, bringing with it even more destruction. It was in this…
… I did not understand child development … I did not know that I was going against God’s plan for children. I have been raising them the way I was raised during my childhood. The teachings have really transformed my thinking, heart and also equips me with the techniques and skills on how I am…
Our time in Arusha, Tanzania, running the Celebrating Children’s Workshop, was an absolute highlight. I had expected this letter to capture that. But then there was a terrible road accident. Our dear friends, John Mukolwe and Vicent Kazungu, were killed along with ten others. John and Vicent were 2 of Loom’s critical partners in East…
Stories give us glimpses into the reality of life and the power of a human being to change. At the end of each quarter, we evaluate our ongoing training in East and Southern Africa and analyze its impact. What is the role of capacity-building in a community? Who are the critical community influencers (gatekeepers) who…
The Art Vie de Jesus Mafa (Life of Jesus Mafa) was an initiative undertaken in the 1970s to help teach the gospel in Northern Cameroon. French Catholic missionary François Vidil worked with Mafa Christian communities in Cameroon to create a catalog of 70 paintings depicting the life of Jesus as an African man. The plan…
