A Foundation of Hope: The First Steps Toward the Women’s Development Center
Something amazing is happening in Maji—and it’s all thanks to the Spirit moving hearts (and sand)!
Just a few weeks ago, we faced a major hurdle: no sand. Maji sits high in the mountains at 8,000 feet, where there’s plenty of mud—but no sand. This is critical for building the Women’s Development Center. Back when I was a kid, the tiny pile of sand on our veranda was so precious we weren’t even allowed to touch it! Today, not much has changed—building materials like sand and gravel still have to be trucked up from the distant lowlands.
Thanks to the incredible commitment of local leaders—who insisted, “This building (Women’s Development Center) is important for our women. Otherwise they have nothing“—the first loads of sand and gravel have arrived!
District officials went all the way to the zone level to negotiate a partnership with a government road crew, even offering to cover half the cost of hauling the sand. The collaboration, passion, and speed at which they moved has amazed us. And now, the foundation for the Maji Women’s Development Center is being laid!
We are stepping out in faith—and the journey is just beginning for the new Women’s Development Center!
The first truckloads of materials have arrived, the contractor is on site, and the dreams of women in Maji are starting to rise from the ground up. Thanks to your generosity, the work has begun—but we still need your help to finish strong! Select here to learn more about this incredible project and how you can be part of making this new Women’s Development Center a reality!
“In the remote corner of a non-industrialized nation like Ethiopia, work has to be done by hand. The foundations for the MDC-built Women’s Development Center will be dug, the cement will be mixed, the cement blocks will be stacked and carried–all by human power. In Maji, as in Camelot, it is raining at night and the sun is shining during the day. This at least softens the soil! My heart and admiration goes out to the men of Maji, who aren’t afraid of hard physical work!” – Caroline Kurtz
