SHONA - Crafts from the Congo

Hey friends! Lindsay here, from the Give1Save1 Caribbean site. I asked Beth if I could write a guest post about an amazing organization of which I was recently made aware. She happily obliged.

My husband and I have been in process to adopt from Congo for over a year now.  Although we have yet to travel to DRC, we've fallen in  love the beautiful country and the people. It's really exciting when we hear of organizations in Congo that promote real change in the lives of the Congolese. That is exactly the mission of SHONA - Crafts from the Congo.

SHONA - Crafts from the Congo

SHONA is a small, grass-roots organization dedicated to empowering handicapped people in Congo, primarily women. We have no outside funding and no paid staff.



Mapendo, Riziki, Dawn, Solange, Argentine

SHONA was started by an American, Dawn (pictured above), who after living in Goma, Congo for 3 years was overwhelmed by the level of poverty there.

After listening to the strong desire for reliable and dignified work, she bought a sewing machine, and worked with a few neighbors to discover whether it would be possible to sew simple bags and sell them in the US. SHONA started with those few seeds, but quickly became a small group of talented young women, who live with physical disabilities but also with incredible joy and determination.



When you visit the SHONA online store you will see quality crafts made in Goma, Congo. Not only are the products beautiful, but 100% of estimated profits go directly to the disabled artisans who create them. How cool to know that the cute doll or skirt you purchase is providing opportunities for real change in the lives of those who created those products.

And if that's not enough to inspire you to check out SHONA, just take a look at a couple of very satisfied (and very cute) customers!

Adorable Andrew in his Dashiki

It's serious work being this cute

 

     Sweet  Tshala wearing her Dashiki on DRC Independence day this year

And just recently available for pre-order is this adorable Solange mini-doll. Part of the purchase will be used to help a Congolese woman, Solange care for the 5 young children who have recently come to live in her home.  Their father, a close and beloved relative of Solange, was just killed and they have no other means of support.

The Solange mini doll is now available for pre-order

                          Check out the SHONA online store to see all the amazing products.

Be sure to like SHONA Congo on Facebook as well.



Jude's Room

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd share some pics of Jude's room. I am not a fan of theme in kids' rooms. But you would never know that seeing this room because I'm afraid I may have gone over the top with the whole African animal vibe! :)

The rocking chair was a resale store find, and the birds I picked up in Ethiopia, but here are the links for everything else.

CRIB. CHANGING TABLE. CRIB SHEET. BEDSKIRT. CURTAINS. CHANGING PAD COVER. CHEVRON PILLOW. ZEBRA CANVAS. ELEPHANT WALL DECAL. BABY QUILT. RUG.

And here's an update for you. There's no update. There was word that we might be submitted to Embassy today, but it doesn't look like that will be the case. Most of our group will be submitted next Wednesday. We might be sooner (we have a medical expedite), but maybe not. So we're sort of thinking next Wednesday. Boo. He's outgrowing his clothes before he even gets home. On the plus side, I'll probably get to buy him a whole new wardrobe when he gets here.

Another update regarding his health: his main diagnosis is brain atrophy. And he's a got a few other little things, like his muscles are sort of like wet noodles. This week we had a neurologist review his MRI and said that we should be prepared for lifelong debilitations, and that his brain damage was 'extensive and significant'. Not what a mom likes to hear. So be praying for my boy and for his brain. Because the God of the Universe is taking care of him and he can heal this. And pray for our strength and courage as we prepare for a special needs baby and all that is involved with that. And pray that we are submitted to Embassy soon because I'm not sure how much more I can take knowing he needs so much and that he's so far away!

Help Me Please!!!

Hey guys! So guess what?! Wednesday is the day that my agency submits to Embassy, and there's a really good chance we're in that pile. Hoping so! And here's what that means for me. I've lost my mind. We are preparing for the next trip. Preparing for the homecoming. Still painting and selling tshirts to pay back that beast of a loan. Getting back into the swing of the school year. I've lost my mind. I can't complete sentences and I surely can't complete simple tasks, and I'm having a hard time coming up with blog posts and the time to search for awesome stuff to share with you.

So here's what I'm begging for. I'd love to line up some guest posts from you guys! Anything related to adoption, Africa, attachment, parenting, fundraising, shopping that helps someone out, etc. You know what we do around here. So if you have something you'd like to write about, now is the time. Shoot me an email at b.cupitt@yahoo(dot)com. I'll also need a few pics to share as well as your blog. Help a girl out. We want to keep up the fundraising for our families of the week while I space out!

I love you all!!!

PS. Update on the shirts. I'm almost out of mediums. Totally didn't expect to sell out of pre-orders! The shirts come in on Friday and I'm shipping out on Saturday, so look for them next week!

New Week, New Family

Good morning, guys! It's our first day back to school and it's utter chaos this morning! How about you? Did you guys go back today or have you already been back?

Let's unwind with a new family of the week, shall we? This week we are supporting Debbie Shingle, who found herself ready to start over when her adult children left the nest. Since then, she has adopted two little boys and now is in the final stages of bringing home two more little girls. Her daughter, Kathy, has been so sweet to get her mom nominated for Give1 and keep me updated on the process. Here's a little note she wrote you guys:

Our family can't thank the Give1Save1 family enough for choosing us as a feature family.  We covet your prayers, and value and appreciate every donation that is made to our family this week!  We are excited to share that the adoption has advanced since the video was made.  The wait now is just for Embassy dates for travel! In addition, we were blessed with updated photos of the girls (taken just this week!) and just had to share with you as you become a part of our journey!!!

While we are amazed and overwhelmed with how beautiful the girls are, we are also struggling with the reality of the life they are living.  The picture below (not for the squeemish) is of our sweet B's feet. Both girls are affected by jiggers with severe infections for both of them.  Would you join us in praying for a speedy homecoming so the girls feet issues can be addressed.  In the meantime, we also appreciate your prayers for their comfort and for no impairment to their ability to walk.

So, guys, you know the drill. Let's really bless this mama and her family. And let's remember to specifically pray for healing in B's feet. 

***So far Debbie has received $0 towards the girls' adoption***

Freezer Food for Sanity Saving

Good morning, y'all! So my little guy is going to be here soon. Like, it's about to get really real. In a few weeks three littles will be here. And Will is starting school on Monday. And when Jude gets here, he's likely to have physical therapy multiple times a week. What's all this come down to? Getting it together NOW! All moms should do this from time to time. Ladies, I'm talking freezer meals.

Lately I've been trying to revamp our family's eating habits. Researching and trying to be sneaky. Let me tell ya, they are not to be fooled. Organic, whole wheat mac and cheese - not happening. Whole wheat bagels - um, no. The three year old spit it out. Low fat? Nope. Even Rachel Ray is too gourmet. What's up with that?! Anyway, in the end I just caved and bought the Taste of Home freezer mini cookbook at the checkout line yesterday. I don't know if Taste of Home is strictly southern, so let me share if you're not familiar. Taste of Home recipes can be counted on to be eaten by all because they are delicious fat bombs with zero sophistication. Think ground beef plus cheese plus onions. It's good stuff. And I'm thinking that the family has made major concessions lately with the traveling and changes. The least I can do is feed them food they'll eat. At least for a while. The best part is that I can do this all ahead of time. I've bought a boat load of meat on sale yesterday and made my list of cheeses and disposable casserole pans and I'll be cooking next week. I'll have about a week or two with one kid while Will's in school and Jude's not here. This is my plan to prepare and stay busy. But with school starting it's a great idea for anyone. Sports and music and all that jazz are starting too.

So do you have any great make-ahead meals for us? I'm gonna need a pinboard for this...

PS. Our family of the week, the Dinsmores, have brought in $3,417 so far!!! You guys are amazing! If you donated, don't forget to throw your name into the comment section of this post to win one of new awesome tshirts! You still have all weekend too. 

AWAA's New Kenya Program

Hey hey everybody! Today is sort of two part. Part One is me bragging about my agency. Part two is about a new program they just opened up, just in case you're interested.

Part One - America World is Stinkin' Awesome
So when I started the whole adoption 'research' phase, I had no idea where to start. I googled like a responsible citizen. But I never really trust stuff I see on the internet. For me, it's gotta be personal. I need to know someone and trust someone who used a particular fill-in-the-blank and liked it. So that meant, for me, some good old blog hoppin'. Real people and their real stories. But I still had no idea what was what. So I kid you not... this is what I did... I followed some blogs for a while and started to see who was going where. The person that took time to talk to me and tell me about their agency was Jenn from Pure and Lasting. She was using AWAA and told me why, and she sold me. That's how I made my super-official, life-changing decision. Blog stalking. But here's why I can now recommend them to you if you are in the agency shopping phase:

• They are known for their position on ethical adoptions. Welcome to the adoption community! Everyone's nice here! That's sort of what I thought at first. Not the case. If you spend any amount of time online researching adoptions and getting into the world of orphans, you'll end up having your horrifying rude awakening moment. Because people are being taken advantage of. Children are 'put up for adoption' when there's no way they could ever be adopted. Parents are lied to and told that their children will be returned to them. Desperate parents are discouraged and told that there is no way they could raise their kids and that they are better off somewhere else. People are bribed. It's disturbing stuff, but when large amounts of money are changing hands, there are some bad people that come into play. And sometimes they pretend to be good. And sometimes they don't know. It's a very vulnerable and delicate system. But America World is known for preceding with caution. Here's the catch: you may wait longer for your referral than some smaller agencies do, or some unethical agencies do. That's because AW makes sure that when you get your referral, no birth mom is coming back. No child will disappear. They make sure that this is a true orphan and you can rest with a clear conscience knowing that you're providing a home for a child that really needs one, not a child that never should have been an orphan. 
• They are known for being professional. Let me tell you, they are seriously so professional it's annoying. I tried to wrestle little glimmers of hope and timelines and this and that out of our family coordinator (hey Lauren!), but she's uncrackable! At the time it's very annoying because your waiting to hear some little shred of something you can cling on to (like you're next in line, or referrals are coming faster than usual, or 'man, there sure is an overabundance of adorable 3 year old girls at the transition home') but no you will not hear that. BUT I can appreciate that they protect us from our own unrealistic hopes and keep us from being mislead. And in one sentence she would say something darling like "I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I'll be praying for you." 
• Oh, yeah, they are also a Christian agency.
• Their transition home is amazing. The children are attached to their nannies. The facility is nice. The children are so well taken care of. The doctor would not rest until they found out what was going on with Jude. She was fantastic. The children are clearly well loved and celebrated. Jude has made so many strides since coming to them that the doctor said she had no explanation for his improvement. That his cells must have been touched by God. But it's clear that they have been working with him extensively, getting him therapy, individual attention, and putting some weight on.

So anyway, that's just my experience with my own agency. I love them. And I never intended for my blog to be a platform for an agency, but I've rethought that. Because it was someone else's referral that made me pick them. I was going to a totally shady agency (that eventually was shut down) with nothing but the best of intentions, when Jenn gave me such a positive review, so maybe I can do the same for you if you're in the early stages. Full support, people! So if you feel like you might be leaning in that direction, let me point you to a new Africa program...

Part Two -  How 'Bout Kenya?

So, there are so many Africa options that are open now! We've seen Ethiopia and DRC, but now I'm seeing alot of Zambia and Uganda, and even an upcoming family adopting from Madagascar! Well, AWAA has just opened up their Kenya program. The basics start out the same. Paper chase, then wait for the referral (maybe 2 months, probably 3-6 months). Then about 2 months after referral you head to Kenya, where you stay for 6-12 months.

Once you have accepted your referral, you wait for various approvals associated with the Hague adoption process involving the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). Then AW begins preparing you for travel, the third and final phase of your adoption process. Families normally leave for Kenya approximately 2-6 months after they receive a referral and stay in Kenya for 6-12 months. While in Kenya, the first 3 months is a mandated bonding period where a social worker will visit the family who has temporary guardianship over their adopted child. The social worker submits reports to the court and the family works with the Adoption Society and an adoption lawyer to receive the various court appointments and approvals to finalize the adoption. During a family’s stay in Kenya, they will have the chance to be connected with local Kenyans, American missionaries, and experience the rich culture of Kenya during the course of their stay.

That sounds so cool to me! I know not everyone can do this, but some can. And it's just another option for you. Saving up and taking a leave of absence or working from abroad are options. I just love the idea. Families also stay together in an apartment with other adoptive families, so there's a snuggly little community going on. Plus you have the added (amazing) benefit of bonding with your child in their own cultural environment, which I have heard makes transitioning home so much easier. If you have any more questions head on over to the Kenya home page, and click contact us at the top. See ya tomorrow!

Need a Reason to Shop?

I love a good reason to shop, don't you? Here's a few reasons.

See these gorgeous necklaces? Don't you love them. You can have a word stamped onto a vintage key as a keepsake or reminder. I just adore them. And the money supports the adoption of two little guys in Africa. If you want to know more about that, head over to this lovely blog. It's one of those gems.

Speaking of gems, this next mama is certainly a bright, shiny one. I could squeeze Jenny Marrs. And she just opened her Etsy shop full of cuteness. Another awesome blog there, too.

And if you're a Noonday fan (ME!), good news. No, it's not the new lookbook coming out soon. That's a different post for a different day (can't wait). Stephanie Nunes, one of our past give1 mamas, is having a sample sale. 20-30% off some of her pieces. That's going down Sunday evening on her blog. I'll be stalking. 

Have fun shopping and supporting other adoptions. Speaking of supporting adoptions, we broke our first thousand of the week for the Dinsmores yesterday. We're kicking off the day with $1,044!