I was thrilled when my friend Rachel shared these photos of a woman named Gloria receiving Sis Boom fabric all the way in South Africa. Gloria, a mother of 4, is an aspriring entrepreneur who sews bags, baby bibs, shoes and commissioned work from her community to help support her family and hopes to one day design and open her own boutique. Gloria’s smile says it all in this picture: complete JOY! Gloria said she’ll be using the fabric for various projects and clothing and not a scrap will go to waste.

As a child, Gloria made clothing for her dolls from bits of plastic and whatever she could find. Gloria always wanted to learn how to sew and was thrilled when a missionary named Anneke with Ten Thousand Homes taught Gloria how to sew. Anneke gifted Gloria with her sewing machine before leaving South Africa.

Gloria’s family and others have been helped through Ten Thousand Homes, which is “a movement of ordinary people activiely building HOPE and creating HOMES for African’s orphans and vulnerable children.” I’m so grateful to organizations like Ten Thousand Homes for making a difference in this world, my friend Rachel Berwick for contacting me about donating the fabric and Christine Reinhardt for lugging the fabric and other sewing notions half way around the world!

Photo credits: Jennifer Price and Christine Reinhardt