Bamburi Women’s Empowerment Center

Vision (in Peter’s words)

To make women self reliable and independent.

Mission

To equip women with knowledge and skills to be able to fight abject poverty.

The Women’s Empowerment Center is still fairly new, having started it’s first program in the Spring of 2019. Peter saw that the women of the Bamburi community, many of them mothers of his school children, had no opportunity to advance themselves in order to earn income. So he established the Center and hired teachers to teach two very marketable skills: beauty and sewing.

The beauty school teaches hair care and nail care. The students learn the specific skill of braiding African women’s hair, as well as hair coloring. In addition they learn to give manicures and pedicures. When they have completed their training, they are ready to earn money either by being hired by a salon, or offering their skills to others in their homes.

The sewing school teaches women how to make a pattern for a blouse, or skirt or other pieces of clothing. Once they have learned to make the pattern, they can transfer that onto fabric, cut it out, and sew it with the treadle machines in the center. The sewing machines were purchased by a past volunteer, and serve them well even when the electricity fails, which is frequently!

Peter charges $5/month for either the beauty or sewing classes. There are about 40 women who are taking classes. Some women attend only one of the schools, while some do both. As is his policy with the school, Peter will let women come even if they are unable to pay. He believes the most important thing is for the women to receive the education so they can better their own lives and that of their family.

Perhaps you would like to sponsor a woman for $5/month…or multiple women with a larger donation. Another way to partner with the Women’s Center is to give a donation to buy beauty supplies, or fabric. Go to our Donate page and give in any way you can. Thank you!