All week long, in honor of #InternationalWomensDay, we are lifting up five women we admire.
We will send one quick email each day highlighting a woman who has blessed The Off Ramp as well as us personally.
Today the woman we would like to lift up is Stacy Hollingsworth.
Stacy worked with our family in Senegal for several years and quickly became like family.
When she had to leave unexpectedly for health reasons, she returned to the United States where for many years she cared for her six adopted children (several with special needs) while working in law enforcement.
Today, she is the founder of The Esther Project Shop which she created to help combat human trafficking in Kenya through the development of a market for handcrafted artisanal goods made by women who are in vulnerable situations.
What do we want to honor in Stacy?
⭐ Her creativity in finding new ways to support the artistic abilities of women often not seen or neglected
⭐ Her willingness and tenacity to give her everything to those society ignores or casts away
⭐ Her love of other cultures, languages, and lifestyles
Stacy is also the guest of a podcast episode we published a few months back. We chat about our time together in Senegal in the late '80s and '90s, what trafficking really looks like in Kenya (and elsewhere), and some of the challenges she has encountered in setting up this business. Her story is fascinating and she is entertaining to listen to!
Stacy, we love you. We admire you. And we honor you.
Stay tuned tomorrow to "meet" the third woman we want to celebrate this week!