Just a few months ago, a small, beautiful compound in the center of Nairobi, Kenya, was buzzing with activity. The laughter and songs of women could be heard throughout the buildings and gardens as they worked. Customers floated in and out of the shop, the front which was full of the colorful handiwork of these women. Other customers rested in the peaceful garden while they waited for a soup or salad from the cafe.
This oasis in the midst of the busy capital of Nairobi is called Amani ya Juu, meaning “peace from above” in Swahili. It’s an organization that ministers to marginalized women and gives them an opportunity to use their gifts to support themselves and their families.
Together the women at their two locations in Kenya and Uganda sew beautiful products like dresses, kitchen items, kids toys, Christmas decor, quilts and so much more with colorful hand-dyed fabrics and local types of patterned fabric like kitenge and kikoy. Their handiwork is sold at their shop in Nairobi and distributed to customers in the U.S. through their online shop and headquarters in Chattanooga.
Amani is a ministry grounded in the biblical principle of the imago dei which drives them to address the brokenness of the world in a holistic way, addressing every aspect of poverty. They recognize that poverty is the result of broken relationships between individuals and God, themselves, others and creation.
“Because we know the love of Christ, we want to respond when we see brokenness in the world, and we want to respond in a way that interacts positively with all of the different ways that we can be broken,” said Peter Vaughn, the co-director of the Amani center in the U.S.
“But,” Vaughn said, “also because we are in the image of God, people are not meant to persist on handouts. God has mandated every person to be co-creators, tending his garden into a heavenly city. It is in using our gifts creatively and productively to the benefit of ourselves and others and to the glory of God that we find fulfillment in our vocation.”
Amani uniquely brings together these beliefs by being a registered non-profit organization so that they can accept donations which help them provide scholarships and an emergency fund, but they are primarily funded by the sale of the products the Amani women create. “The women of Amani are therefore not recipients of benevolence, but artisans who provide for themselves and for their families through their good work,” Vaughn said.
Amani ya Juu began 25 years ago, when Becky Chinchen, an American missionary in Liberia, became a refugee as a result of the Liberian civil war. Eventually, she ended up in Kenya where she met three other refugees. They were all vulnerable, without social networks, resources or skills, Vaughn recalled. They started doing what they could to support themselves by simply sewing placemats.
This seemingly small effort eventually grew into Amani ya Juu, which now employs 120 women in Uganda and Kenya. The organization’s goal is to share God’s peace and spirit of reconciliation with everyone who comes into contact with them.
The women come from a variety of backgrounds, but they are unified through the peace of Christ. Hanging in their chapel is a special piece they call the Unity Quilt which beautifully displays Amani’s mission of bringing the reconciliation and peace of God to all. Each of the 12 panels pictures traditional ways of celebrating reconciliation among the various people groups that the Amani women are from and a red cross runs through the middle, signifying the unifying work of Christ. Each of the women has a beautiful and unique story to tell that truly showcases the power of the gospel for changing lives.
Once a woman joins the Amani community, she is welcomed into a family of women who love God and each other and encourage each other as they walk through life. Every morning before work, they gather in the chapel to share prayer requests and sing praises to God. They greet each other with hugs, high fives and exuberant laughter.
About halfway through the morning, they stop work and take a break to drink their chai. As they share their snacks with each other, like homemade chapati and mandazi, they reveal how deep their community is through their generosity and conversations.
Amani ya Juu is a place where every woman is encouraged, welcomed and loved no matter her background or current situation. It’s a wonderful atmosphere to be a part of, but in March the pandemic significantly altered it.
On Friday, March 13, the women went about work as usual, fairly optimistic that the pandemic would not severely affect them. By the following Monday, Amani was essentially closed, and completely shut down by the end of the week. Without this work, the women would face substantial financial difficulties and likely be unable to pay rent or even buy food.
However, God was incredibly gracious and provided enough, through donations to the emergency fund, that Amani could send stipends to the women throughout the three months of government lockdown. Vaughn also mentioned that an increase in online sales created a substantial amount of work for the women when they were finally able to return.
“COVID-19 has been a roller coaster for Amani, but it has also been an opportunity to see God’s gracious provision and care,” Vaughn said. The pandemic has affected the women of Amani living in Africa in very similar ways to how it has affected those in the U.S., and they have responded in similar ways.
Vaughn said, “There are the same fears, the same isolation, and similar ways of coping. The Amani ladies started a WhatsApp chat group so that they could continue to interact with each other from a distance.” Everyone needs community, but this online community was only a shadow of the fellowship these ladies had before the pandemic, so there was much rejoicing when the women in Africa and staff in Chattanooga finally came back together after months of separation.
Now, operations at Amani look much different. Smaller groups of women rotate on days they can come in so that only about eight women are there at the same time. The stitchers come to receive orders and supplies and then take projects home to do the stitching.
This has been a significant adjustment for the women who truly thrive when they are in community with each other. Winrose, the production materials supervisor at the Nairobi location, said her favorite thing about Amani is “the company of the women with their funny stories.” Now, she really misses that. “It’s not as interesting as when we were all able to come. I miss our lunch breaks [and] socializing at the in-house garden with my workmates,” she said.
The pandemic has undoubtedly been life-changing and difficult, but it has also been an opportunity to witness God’s faithfulness and provision. Through the generosity of God’s people, the women of Amani were supported through the lockdown and provided with work to do upon returning.
Vaughn said the pandemic has also provided an opportunity for them to focus on an exciting addition to their Chattanooga storefront, a cafe they’re calling The Livingstone. “This cafe will enable us to provide employment opportunities to marginalized Chattanoogans while also increasing traffic to our retail showroom. It has been amazing to see that vision coming to fruition, and we hope to open sometime in the new year.”
Despite the trials brought on by this pandemic, Amani ya Juu has been encouraged by God’s faithfulness and love. “Seeing God’s miraculous provision for Amani, in completely unexpected ways, has been a reminder that there is nothing that surprises God, and however furious the commotion on earth, from His eternal perspective it does not seem to be a loud noise to Him. He is faithful. His kingdom will remain intact, and it will win the day. We have the confidence that comes from the promise of the Almighty,” Vaughn said.
Through drastic changes and many uncertain moments, Amani has continued to be a place of community, peace, and fellowship. They’ve had to make adjustments and sacrifices, but God continues to show his faithfulness and love to this extraordinary community.