Back with the Women of Sewing for Hope

We came to Uganda for two reasons: the retreat you’ve hopefully already read about, and Sewing for Hope—a program within the center Refuge and Hope.

We’ve been working with Sewing for Hope since around 2016 or 2017. The goal is much like ours at The Off Ramp: to create opportunities for economic stability and, in doing so, reduce the need for displacement. We partnered with them as mentors and marketers—offering guidance on improving production and helping sell their creations through Threads by Nomad once the products were ready for market.

When we were last here two and a half years ago, we left the women with a large order for jumpsuits and pants. Unfortunately, when the shipment arrived in the U.S., it wasn’t marketable—there were too many errors.

If you read a few blog posts back, you already know how much I love these women. Here’s another reason: they want to learn. They are eager to refine their craft, to become skilled professionals. They listen carefully to feedback and take correction with grace.

We spent the first morning reviewing those garments from two years ago, noting every issue. Then we talked about what could change to prevent the same mistakes in the future. It was serious work—but also full of laughter, encouragement, and shared determination. We looked back at what went wrong, and forward to what we’ll do better next time.

We also talked about what comes next. There’s always a fear among the women that we might give up on them or decide they’re not capable. Far from it! We went over new designs—so stay tuned for a beautiful new bomber jacket coming soon.

Many of you know our clergy stoles from Sewing for Hope, especially the Women of the Bible collection. While here, we’re developing two new stole designs. Our team includes two other clergywomen besides me, and we are deeply appreciative of these talented women and the partnership we share through Threads by Nomad. (And as a reminder—our clergy stoles are currently on sale in honor of Clergy Appreciation Month!)

We set the women to work making bookmarks while we headed to the market. There’s nothing quite like being in downtown Kampala—the crowds, the cars, the vans, the motorbikes! I wondered if my memory had exaggerated it since our last visit. It hadn’t. It really is that busy.

We shopped for fabric for the new jackets, explored what’s available locally for production, and looked at sewing machines.

Our first day back with the women of Sewing for Hope was both fulfilling and fun. We love these women!