Don’t miss our Online Shop updates & FREE Shipping til 12/15!

Shopping online with Amani just got easier!

Amani’s online shop has some special new features, just in time for the holidays.  Stop in and check it out.

Easy search option to locate items.

Simple color selection.

Additional product photos.

And a fresh, new look!

Take a peek at some NEW products ideal for holiday gifts…

Original Travel Tote

Original Wristlet

West African Robertsport Clutch

We’re excited about these changes and want to share the joy with you.  Get FREE SHIPPING on your order now through December 15th!

*Place orders by December 15th for delivery by Christmas.

Check back regularly throughout the season for updates to our online shop.

 

Amani Gathering in Missouri gets local highlight.

A volunteer from Jefferson City, Missouri visited Amani ya Juu’s center in Nairobi, Kenya this summer and came home eager to share what she had experienced.  She met women at Amani who had found hope and opportunities much like she was given.  Now she’s giving back by supporting Amani and selling products this holiday season.

Ready her story in this article by the Jefferson City News Tribune.  And check out her sale if you’re in the area!

Zed from Eritrea stitches a scrap bowl, which will be sold to support Amani ya Juu.

Thanks to Lori and Amani’s many dedicated volunteers for your partnership with the women of Amani ya Juu!

 

Color. Design. Function. And Peace…all in one box!

As any Amani volunteer knows, nothing compares to the thrill of opening a box of products that just arrived from Amani Kenya.  Pulling back the layers of bags.  Unfastening the banana leaf boxes to peek at the jewelry.  Discovering new designs and bright colors.  These affordable, functional products make great gifts that speak of peace with boldness and excellence.  They are the pride of the women who crafted them.  And it shows when the box flaps are finally pulled back after many miles of travel.

Amani volunteer Julie Lapeyrolerie certainly knew that excitement when she recently received a box for her October 24th gathering in Austin, Texas.  She soon went to work capturing the beauty of the products with her camera–and the result is stunning!  She shared about her involvement with Amani in this blog post, which has some great photos of some current Amani designs.  We’re sharing a few below, but we recommend also checking out her site.

The women at Amani Kenya are working diligently to prepare boxes full of products in time for many holiday sales throughout the US.  More information on partnering with them in this way, visit our Volunteer info page.

 

Volunteer sale highlighted in Memphis’ Commercial Appeal

A group of volunteers partnering with the Amani women by selling their products received some special attention this week with this article in the Commercial Appeal, a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee.

Amani is grateful for volunteers like the women of Hope Presbyterian Church who will share Amani products at the women’s ministry Market on Thursday, September 24 from noon to 8pm.  The Market will take place at 8500 Walnut Grove.  Check them out if you’re in the area!

“Women are the same everywhere. We have hard times. They have hard times. They’re trying to make a living. We’re trying to make a living. We understand each other even with the language barrier.”

-Pam Bramlage, women’s ministry special events coordinator at Hope Presbyterian Church

 

AmaniDC celebrates its grand opening!

Amani’s Washington, DC location encompasses our US warehouse, a retail boutique, and the main US office.  Amani is proud to announce the grand opening of its youngest daughter center.  If you’re in the DC area, be sure to chck out next week’s event or stop by anytime.  More info at amanidc.wordpress.com.

AmaniDC’s Grand Opening

Friday, July 31st
2:00 to 7:00 p.m.
&
Saturday, August 1st
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

We opened our doors in January, but AmaniDC has been settling in over the past few months.  After a few coats of paint, lots of new displays, and many screws and nails, the transformation is complete.  We’re ready to celebrate!

Mark your calendar, tell a friend, and plan to come check out…

• our largest sale selection yet
  
• the watoto children’s nook
• chai & refreshments
• raffles
• free gift with purchase of $25 or more
  

 

New features from the 2009 Summer Collection and discounts in our online shop!

We’ve just added new products to our online shop from the 2009 Summer Collection.

*Friendly pinks and greens in the Kanga Collection*

*Subdued blues & khakis with the Kikoy Collection*

*Dressed-up silk-screening of the Safari Collection*

Check out the fresh designs and colors ideal for warmer weather here!

And be sure to browse through the Sale section for some great deals on deeply discounted items.  There’s an abundance of popular sellers in older designs and some of our most beloved bags in other colors.

 

Amani’s DC boutique garners local interest

Amani’s US boutique in Washington, DC is attracting attention as it settles into its new neighborhood.  Since opening in January 2009, the first US center, which includes a boutique, warehouse, and office, has connected and thrived in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of northwest Washington, DC.

This month DC North, a local community newspaper, profiled AmaniDC in its a new column called “Walkabout.”  Check it out below or here.  A popular local blog also mentioned AmaniDC after visiting a May open house organized by Amani’s hosts, La Casa.  The story is available here.

Be sure to stop by AmaniDC if you’re in the DC area!  More information is available on the AmaniDC info blog.

 

Boxes of Peace

Reflections from Rose Sore, Export Manager at Amani ya Juu in Nairobi, Kenya

I get a lot of interesting responses when I tell people my title at Amani ya Juu.  Quizzical looks are typically follow by questions like, “Export Manager? Hmm, what does that mean exactly?”  I had the same reaction when I first heard about the position.  Two and a half years into the job, I’ve learned that being Amani’s Export Manager has a lot less to do with paperwork and more with people. It is centered less on the superficial details of shipping out products and more so on making a difference in people’s lives.

It’s impossible to talk about Export without telling the story of Amani’s ladies.  I see them walk through the gate at Amani every morning bringing in the stitching they did at home, carrying babies, and chatting with fellow trainees who have long become friends.  I look at them in amazement knowing their stories – tales of pain and victory over pain that they also carry with them.  We congregate for prayer before working to make some of the most amazing products I have ever seen.

These products pass through many eyes and hands to ensure excellence before finding their way to the Export Office.  Our task in Export is two-fold: to spread Amani’s message of peace beyond the borders of Kenya and to support the ladies’ efforts by finding a market for their products. Each product is tagged with a message of Amani’s mission of peace-building. In this way, a simple bag can share the hope of transformational peace with the person who receives it.

One of the hardest experiences for me at Amani has been hearing first-hand the material struggles of the ladies at Amani.  Refugees rely on what is given to them, insufficient as it often is.  Women from underprivileged backgrounds lack academic and professional opportunities to further themselves and now have great difficulty in sustaining themselves financially.  Amani gives them a chance to make a living and acts as a bridge between the limitations forced upon them and the abundance God has for them.

However, this chance depends wholly on finding a market for Amani products. Every month I ship out boxes going to volunteers who will sell the products packed inside.  They don’t pay up front for the products; they just commit a few hours that mean a livelihood for the women here in Africa.  As I watch the pick-up drive out of Amani loaded with boxes, I whisper a prayer of thanksgiving to God because I know what it means practically on the ground. When we ship our goal of 20 boxes, this means that the ladies will be able to continue creating products and become more financially equipped.  When we ship only a handful of boxes, I know it means less work for the ladies who I care so much about.

The number of boxes we ship depends directly on how many ordinary people like you and me choose to support Amani’s efforts. These people say to us, “Yes, I want to help.  I want to give that lady in Africa – who I may never meet but whose struggle I feel – a fighting chance in life.  I will hold an Amani Gathering and trust God for a successful sale.”  To all of you who have supported us in the past, THANK YOU.  Your efforts have gone a long way in transforming lives; I urge you not to grow weary in doing good.

If ever there were people worthy of your partnership, it would be the Amani ladies.  It has certainly been my great honor to serve them, if only in a small way, and I invite you to join me in this beautiful, life-changing work.

You can extend the opportunity for a sustainable livelihood to the women of Amani by selling their products.  For more information, visit our website or contact our Volunteer Coordinator here.

Don’t want to wait for your volunteer box to arrive?
Visit our online store where we’ve always got
new products and sale items to check out!

 

WORLD features US Volunteer opportunities

In its April 26th issue, WORLD Magazine highlighted the opportunity for people in the US to partner with the women of Amani by selling the beautifully handcrafted products in their communities.  It is a simple way to tangibly support the women of Amani.  Volunteers receive products sent directly from Kenya without charge, use supplied materials to share Amani’s message, and can return all unsold products to our US Warehouse in Washington, DC.

Read the article here: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15251

For more information on volunteering, visit our website or send us some e-mail.

 

Christmas Greetings from Amani!

December 2008

Dear friends of Amani,

As we celebrate the peace of our Lord this Christmas, we also want to celebrate an amazing opportunity He has given us to continue to share His peace globally.

The Amani family has grown tremendously since its inception in 1996. As part of the Amani philosophy, the family always looks to find ways to pass peace to others. In this way, the women of Amani Nairobi reached out to plant centers in Rwanda and Burundi. In recent years, as Amani’s message of peace shared through beautiful products has been carried around the globe, we have seen the Amani family grow tremendously in the United States. This partnership has provided stability and growth for the Amani women in Africa. It has also added great diversity to our family where we are mutually impacted by the peace from continent to continent. As a result, the Amani family in Africa has decided to plant another center – this time in the US!

Join us!
Passing peace in this way from Africa to America is a groundbreaking step for Amani and has been met with much excitement and anticipation. This new home for Amani will be located in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Washington DC. Please join us in this celebration of growth as we set up AmaniDC. You can lend a helping hand if you are in the vicinity, donating materials for the offices or retail store, or give a donation to help offset start-up costs. What do we need? Click here for an updated list of items. On Thursday, December 18th, AmaniDC will host an informal, pre-opening event to introduce Amani to the area just before Christmas. If you live in the DC area, please come check out the new location. Bring some cookies to share and your Christmas list! open-house details AmaniDC will open officially on January 7, 2009.

The Amani women in Africa have inspired us to own our part of passing peace on American soil. AmaniDC will be more than just a retail outlet for Amani products; it will be a welcoming space much like its mother center in Nairobi where peace and love prevails. Over the years, we have learned priceless lessons from the Amani women in Kenya. We have learned what it means to love in spite of our differences, to extend grace even when we have been wronged, to forgive our enemies, and, most remarkably, to live in peace and unity together as a diverse and transformed community. We desire for this to be a place where all are welcome. AmaniDC will provide a gathering place for visitors, friends, and customers to share a safe and peaceful haven. We welcome you to come and visit us!

Amani has come to America. In taking this bold step of faith, we owe much to our African sisters who planted seeds of peace in the hearts of women throughout the world. Our African Amani family will continue to walk with this new young Amani center as she grows, modeling what it means to live to in peace and harmony in the DC community. We invite you to join us in this journey.

May you enjoy the abundance of our Lord’s peace this Christmas season as we celebrate His birth and work of transformation.

Glory to God in the highest,

Becky Chinchen
Executive Director

PS If you would like to read more about AmaniDC please take a look at our blog.

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If you are interested in donating to set up costs, please click here to give a gift in-kind, or consider donating below. Asante sana!