Aprons From Africa

I wanted to send a gift to Esperance, the widow we sponsor through Sister Connection, so I called the co-director of the program, Denise Patch, to check it out.  During our conversation, the idea of the Burundian widows making aprons as a micro-enterprise came up.  As Denise was planning a trip to Burundi in January, I told her I'd collect a few sample aprons that the women might be able to use for patterns.

Oh, did I have fun rummaging through every ValueVillage I could find!  I gathered up a big pile of aprons, including some child-sized ones, and sent them off to Denise.

Later I learned that the women had taken to the idea, and were making aprons to sell!  Denise's assistant, Michelle, who traveled with Denise to Burundi, e-mailed me with this information:  "We took your samples to the widows and within no time they had loads of aprons made!  All different types with all different fabric used, they were beautiful!...Thank you so much for sending these samples.  It truly is a gift the Lord used greatly!  Most were brought back to the states by team members and are now being sold with all proceeds going to Sister Connection and back to the widows."

Just the other day I received an apron of my own in the mail, a gift from Susan, one of the Sister Connection team members!  She said that the widows are very excited about learning to sew.  I'm totally delighted that the Lord used a simple thing like my collecting aprons to send to Africa to impact the lives of some of my sisters and their families!

As soon as I get details about how you can order an apron for yourself and for others, I'll let you know.