Empowering Young Women is the Way to Go!

This month we want to highlight Nancy Hoff for her baking skills and Maima David in tailoring!!

It all started with asking Nancy ” What is your dream in life?”  She responded saying that she would love to go to a baking school and open her own catering business! “So let’s do it!” I challenged ” Find the school of your choice!”

Soon after communicating with Nancy, Provision of Hope enrolled her into the Maryann Cheeseman School of Home Arts in Paynesville.  She needed minimal supplies to start.  The school encouraged their students to buy an oven so they could practice their skills at home.  Provision of Hope bought her an oven so she could bake and sell her goods.  What a talented young lady! Nancy would send me photos of her delicious baking.  She also helps out at weddings, making food and baking cakes.  Seeing her incredible work,  we asked if she would go to the home of Ma Esther and teach our older girls how to bake.  That led us to buying an oven for them and all the baking pans and utensils needed to start their classes.  The girls are just loving it!!  So are the boys!!  They started with cakes of all kinds.  Then on to frying donuts and making fancy pastries.  As the girls progress they plan to sell their baking to the community for added income.

We are so pleased with Nancy’s training and how she so willingly comes to teach our girls on Saturdays. I was on a hunt for Nancy remembering how she helped out with Teta and Esther back in 2008.  I wanted to bless her with something.  You may have read the post Teta’s Amazing Story.  After I found Nancy on facebook, I found out she took in Teta’s older sister Maima at age 12 and raised her!  Maima’s dream was to go to tailoring school!  So, guess what?  We enrolled her to the same school to take tailoring.  Provision of Hope bought her a sewing machine to practice on at home.  We found out the school had only one machine, so we gifted them with a very good machine too. Maima now can sew for others!

Provision of Hope believes in the African Proverb “ If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”

These Vocational Training Programs have a ripple effect!  This gives our young women confidence in a skill and helps them to earn income and build a future for themselves and others.  We select those who already are reaching out to their communities.

Nancy Hoff in her school uniform at Maryann Cheeseman School of Home Arts.

This is Korpu our new mother in Ma Esther’s Home. She is standing by the new oven we purchased for her. Nancy has the same oven.

Nancy starts with showing them how to bake small cakes.

Everyone is eager to learn how to bake then of course they all love sampling all they made! That’s the best part!

Look at these cinnamon rolls!!!

Maima David is loving her new machine. Here she is sewing a dress! Keep up the good work Maima!

Nancy is one awesome baker! You should see the cinnamon rolls and cakes she makes. Wow!!

Nancy is ready to start her first class. Theresa ( in the middle) is so excited to learn how to bake. This is a first for all of them. Thank you to Nancy who did all the shopping for cake pans and all the needed utensils and baking ingredients. Good job! Thank you Daniel Coleman for your assistance too.

Theresa is learning so fast. She already knows how to fry donuts.

Nancy is known for her delicious corn bread!

The presentation of a new sewing machine for the Maryann Cheeseman School with Pastor Malcolm and School Administrator G.E. Dehlein B. Gbor. They were so grateful for this gift!

Thank you to our donors who so faithfully give to make this work possible!

Together with our loyal staff on the grounds, we make a great TEAM!

God bless you!!

Karen Barkman