I’ve had the most wonderful time over the past weeks sharing beautiful stories of Rwandan women showing courage, risk-taking and often, amazing resilience! Every time you’ve responded with a comment, it feels like their stories matter beyond their homes and immediate community. They matter to women all across the world.

And they need that. And so do we.

They need the encouragement and they need the affirmation. Sometimes, it’s only small steps. But it’s always steps heading in the right direction.

We need to be outward looking, generous and inclusive.

My desire, Foxglove’s desire, is to continue funding the start-up of more Self Help Groups. Not to build a kingdom. Not to build a Foundation. But to see the one woman and let her know she matters. She matters to us.

That’s why we always share her name and her individual story. She’s a woman becoming a friend. And this makes Foxglove unique.

If you’d like to join us, we’d be very happy to have you.

Please don’t act from guilt or pressure. I’ve come to agree with Mother Teresa, it’s only small acts of great love that really make a difference. And, Foxglove is about empowering women not exploiting them!

But if you want to join with us in growing the number of Rwandan women into Self Help Groups then here’s five ways how you can get involved:

1. Fund one woman (or more) with a $30 tax deductible donation. One off. No repeats for each woman. You can do this by going to the Donate page.
2. Take part in our 20|20 Women campaign. We provide you with a basket of 20 fair trade items to sell for $30 each. You can run a high tea or house party. If you provide the food and venue charging each guest $30, then each woman can choose a gift. Each basket funds a SHG; 20 women for life. And there are 20 baskets of goods ready to go.
3. You can take a donation box, or two, and ask permission to place them at your local cafe, business or even your hairdresser (I think the service industry just might be ready to help). We provide the box, key, security chain and protocols. You look after the banking.
4. Organise an event or opportunity for a Foxglove speaker to talk about what we do. This could be in your church, school, book club or professional women’s network. You can trust that we will do a great job.
5. Sign up for our fundraiser team and apply to come to Rwanda as part of the Grassroots Rwanda Team 2018. I cannot promise you luxury in any form (hot water is often a bonus) but I can promise you that you will come alive to the extraordinary capacity of women in the Developing World. You will never be quite the same. If you’re interested, send an email to us email@foxgloveproject.com  We will forward you the proposed dates and approximate costs by the end of October.

It’s my hope that Grassroots Rwanda doesn’t rely only on institutional donors. But that everyday women – just like you and me stand up and declare, “It’s our turn to go. It’s our turn to join hands with women across the world in a revolution of empowerment and self-determination. This kind of poverty is not going to happen on our watch.”

May it be so. 

Kelley

I remember meeting with a Self Help Group in Rwanda. I had been interviewing the women for university research over the course of three years and it was coming to an end. So I ended my last meeting by telling them, ‘I promise that when i share your stories, I will not speak about your frailties and poverty. I will speak about your achievements and strength and courage’. At this they jumped to the feet to cheer and dance and celebrate.

I learned something from that moment. I learned that people want to be seen for who they are today not where they started, celebrated not pitied.

This is the commitment of the Foxglove Project.

To find the best in women and girls around the world that can change their circumstances and then help them to bring it to their personal world, their families and their communities.

When we do this, we practice the adage we all know to be true:

“Give a woman a fish and you feed her for a day; Teach a woman to fish and she feeds herself for a lifetime.”