We're in!

The Amani members are filled with thanksgiving as we are all moved into our building. We are still waiting on furnishing, electricity and other small details but we are able to start production in our newly renovated building!

Here are some photos to show the progress of Amani:

Amani Liberia Building May 2011

While the renovation of the Amani building was taking place the Amani members worked hard on our back porches, enjoyed devotions inside, and patiently worked through the hot days and thunder storms.

Many hours went into the renovation of the building. The workers were very grateful for the job and I really enjoyed working with them all. They did an amazing work!

We moved into our building on April 23^rd!!

Here is the Amani Liberia Team. We are all so excited to be in our building! We thank God for his faithfulness and give him the glory!

Miss Boss Lady

One of my jobs here in Liberia is to oversee the construction of the Amani building. If you know me at all you know that this is a big joke. I know nothing about construction, and to add to the fact I really know none of the terminology used on the work site; I have a hard time understanding and communicating with the Liberians. I haven’t fully mastered my Liberian English. “Wait small” I will get the hang of it soon! But regardless of my knowledge I have been entrusted with this job, really I just make sure things are moving as planned and check on the work site every few days, answering any questions needed. Now when I go to the building I am referred to as ‘Miss Boss Lady,’ whether I like it or not.

I thank God we have a wonderful team of men working on the building and some great leaders who have stepped up to make sure things are moving along fine, and can answer all the questions I don’t know.

The Amani building was the old Arts and Crafts site before it was destroyed in the war. What was the skeleton of this building is now becoming the new home of Amani Liberia. The restoration of the building is exciting as well as challenging. I really enjoy designing all the cabinetry and furnishing for the building, which will be made in Monrovia. Designing what the front of the building will looks like, including an intricate iron work for the front door (which I will be eager to share when that is completed). Ordering all of the machines, tools and much more.

I don’t know when the estimate time of completion for the building will be. Well, because here 2 weeks usually turns into 1 month. TIA (This is Africa) But I will keep you updated on the progress!

Designing for Amani

Designing for Amani is bringing me so much joy. I have designed some great pieces for Amani Kenya, But the abundance of extraordinary West African fabric is really inspiring me here in Liberia. Amani Liberia will be focusing mainly on clothing production, which I couldn’t be more excited about. So a part of what I have been working on is designing, pattern drafting, sizing, and training on different designs for Amani Liberia. My goal is to have 6 new designs in production by the time I leave.

This past week I introduced a new dress:

What do you think?

I am excited to see this in the production. The women say it is “Fine!” This is a big complement!

 

I just so happened to make this in my size, which means it will probably end up in my suitcase. I am thinking I want to wear it to my sister’s baby shower. Which is another thing that I couldn’t be more excited about! Being an Auntie!!!

Sankofa fashion show

I have been in Liberia for close to 3 months now. It has been one of the most amazing three months of my life. The preparation of the Sankofa fashion show was worth it. Korto Momolu designed one of the most amazing collections I have ever seen. It really spoke to the women of Liberia, to all women of Africa. Really all women period.
Here are a few photos from the Yekepa show.

Here are a few from the Monrovia show:

Lastly the wonderful Amani Liberia team who I am so blessed to have worked with! God brought such a great team together!

Sankofa Fashion Show Support.

Please read the following flyer for more information about the upcoming Sankofa Fashion Show, which those of us here in Liberia are busy preparing for, and how you can join in supporting this beautiful cause:



Thank you.

Life In Liberia Update.

It has been quite a month. I started my journey back to Africa on February 22. I was in Columbus, OH for a week and half where I helped with the ‘To Liberia with Love’ Fashion Show featuring Korto Momolu's latest collection. I will post more on this later. It was amazing and God’s love just poured out on the show.

I hadn’t thought much of Columbus before I got there; really to me it was going to be just a week and half layover. But the more I thought of it the more I saw what God was doing. I was born in Columbus and my family moved to California when I was 9 months old. I really took comfort in the fact that I was starting my journey with Amani Ya Juu in the place where my life began. God is good.

I am now in Liberia working with an amazing team planning the Sankofa Fashion Show. I flew into Monrovia on the 6th of March. Liberia has really touched my heart, and is in so much need of hope and restoration. Liberia has been anything but peaceful the past two decades, and has started healing the past seven years from the devastating civil war. As you drive through Monrovia you see the city being rebuilt on one side, and ruins on the other. It is a different kind of poverty here; the people have had everything striped away from them due to the war. Including jobs, families, education, and even their morals. Many young women are forced into prostitution by men of the community and their teachers.

But there is hope for the country and hope for the women. God is doing something incredible here. I have been at the ABC University campus for a week now. It's gorgeous here in the middle of the jungle. We traveled 7 hours through the bush to get to Yekepa. I would tell you how the trip went but honestly I was so sick that I can’t remember much. I went to bed with a high fever, I think I slept for almost three days. Thank you Jesus for being with me, I would not have made it without you!

I promise to blog more now! Thank you all who are supporting me. I am still planning to be in Africa until December. Please pray with me that I will continue to have support. Also If you haven’t checked it out already I have a few new dresses up on my store. Your prayers and donations are always such a blessing.

Project Runway

No, I am not going to be a contestant on next season…but I do love Project Runway. I have been watching it since the beginning. Even though the past few season has been somewhat underwhelming I have learned so much from it. I started dabbling in fashion design after watching the first season, I would watch them drape and mimic what they were doing. I am still proud of the first dress I draped. It's no where near perfect and has a lot of techniques missing but it’s still wearable!


{Picture taken back in 2005, what a ham!}

Now, I am sure you are wondering why I am writing about Project Runway now. Drum roll please…

Korto Momolu, the runner up on Season 5 Project Runway will be joining Amani Ya Juu!



How did this come about you ask? Well we have another amazing addition to our design team Stephanie. She is such a lovely women of God and has been such a blessing to the Amani Liberia. She is the sweetest person and is so ambitious! She has been able to achieve so much in the short time working with Amani. She has worked with Korto’s agent and they have agreed to design for the March fashion show in Liberia. And to top that, she has agreed to go to Columbus, OH on Feb 26th to show her latest collection to raise funds for Amani Liberia.

I remember watching Project Runway and seeing Korto reading her Bible in the morning, and I thought “Now there is a designer I can look up to, her designs are beautiful, and her heart is gold.” Not only is Korto Liberian, she has a heart to bring redemption to her country. Amani Ya Juu is so blessed to have her, and I am so blessed to play whatever part in this.

Announcing Amani Liberia

I have some exciting news to share, and I've been bursting at the seam to tell everyone about this. In January I will be heading back to Africa, where I will be a part of something huge. Amani Ya Juu is opening it's doors in Liberia, which is a huge step for both the women of Amani, and the country itself.

"Becky Chinchen, founder of Amani ya Juu, vividly recalls stopping at a checkpoint 18 years ago with her family, starting their long journey into exile. After several attempts to stay in Liberia, they were forced to leave. “We are here to share God’s peace" were Becky’s words as she faced the barrel of a gun carried by a child soldier in the village of Lapia. “I’m not here for peace, I‘m here to kill!” were the words shouted back. These words still echo in her memory today. This was Becky’s last attempt to plea for peace as she evacuated, leaving Liberian soil for what she imagined would be forever.

In 1996, Amani ya Juu was founded in Kenya, far away from the Liberian war. Amani offered a place where wounds could heal, life could be resuscitated, and purpose could be restored. Peace was lived out in Kenya and soon passed to sister centers in Rwanda, Burundi, and Washington, D.C. And now, God’s peace for families and communities is ready to come full circle with Amani Liberia.

Where war robbed an entire nation of peace through brutal civil conflict, Amani ya Juu became a haven of peace. Where peace had been snuffed out many years ago in the little Liberian border town, peace will be passed again.

Amani is coming to Liberia, usurping the power of the evil, and reclaiming the country with God’s peace - Amani ya Juu!" -Amani Newsletter

If you don't know the history of Liberia, it's an amazing story of a war-torn country fighting its way from complete chaos to a place where peace and hope are being restored. If you want to learn more about Liberia, I highly recommend watching the documentary- Pray The Devil Back To Hell.

Anyway, back to the point- in January I will be moving to Liberia where I will be working to open Amani's newest location. I will be assisting in the creation of a new line of clothing, and helping put together a fashion show that will be the grand opening celebration. The goal is for the doors to open by March of 2011, which is just around the corner. For more information about the newest addition to the Amani foundation, please read the article here. And if you are interested in supporting my cause, or know someone that is, please don't hesitate to email me at hannah.lenore@gmail.com or donate using the pay pal link located on the right sidebar of my blog.

God bless.