Author: rowan

Donate to Culver Christian Church Summer team!

This church team will go for three weeks to help with kids programs, widow and caregiver training and much more! Support the members below!

Their strength comes from above.

They carry the hopes and dreams for their children. They fight against all odds to protect and provide for each child. When there is no one to fight on their behalf, they don’t give up. When they are weak with no one to care for them, they continue to care for others. When they feel like crying, they smile. When there is no money to provide food, they make sure their children eat something before they sleep.
Their strength is immeasurable. Their source of strength is not of this world. ROWAN is successful because of their determination and perseverance.
These Superheroes are the Mothers, and they are God’s angels here on earth.
The Mothers of ROWAN don’t know that there is a day on the calendar to honor them. But we do. And honor them we shall.

Here is what you can do!

Write an email to them, attaching a picture of you and your family or friends. Honor them and thank them for all they do for their family and community. Email it to info@loveROWAN.com
ROWAN will hand deliver these letters to them this Summer. We will honor them with your letters and a celebration just to honor them. Help us make that day a special one.
Contribute to the Mother’s Business Projects under Micro Enterprise

Great Friends, Great Food, and Great Beads
Do you want to make a difference and have fun doing it? Host a ROWAN bead Party. Here are the 4 easy steps:
1. Contact Us and tell us you would like to order a bead kit.
2. Tell us if you would like a Small Kit (10 pieces), Medium Kit (20 pieces), or Large Kit (30 pieces.)
3. Organize the party from your home, office or community group!

A ROWAN volunteer will mail you a kit with the beads, info cards, and DVD with videos about ROWAN and how the beads are made.
5. Once your event is over, mail back your box with the remaining beads and the checks.
Contact us to Host a Party!

Learn more about love, ROWAN beads

GLAMOUR Magazine Instagrams ROWAN Beads

Order Necklace at Store Today and Receive by April 20th!

It’s time to express some true beauty in a big way.
Brooke Danielson, one of the Associate Accessories Editor at GLAMOUR Magazine, got her hands on one our Shabby Chic necklace pieces recently and fell in love with our work and our cause. She said,
“My heart melted when I saw my very first ROWAN necklace. The Craftsmanship and attention to detail, not to mention the beautiful beads, are oustanding. To know that women in Africa are making these to better themselves, their families and communities is admirable to say the least. I am encouraged and grateful when wearing it!”
This morning Brooke broadcasted this piece on @glamourmag Instagram to over 200,000 followers to raise awareness & find out how many would purchase this piece to support our widows. Right now widows in Uganda are rolling these beads into a beautiful Shabby Chic masterpiece, and will be on sale by next month just in time for summer!
Stay tuned on @glamourmag and www.loveROWAN.com for details of when they hit the USA

Video on Ugandan bead making

ROWAN has created a Savings and Loans Association for local community members to learn how to save and empower their families! Training came from Care International in Uganda.

Here is how ROWAN Savings & Loans Group works:

Step 1: Friends create a Savings and Loans Group, no more than 20 members.
Step 2: A Constitution is written and signed by all members including rules and regulations of group. Each group member has a role to play: either a key holder, a box holder, a money counter, the chairperson, etc.

Step 3: Each person brings 1,000-5,000 Shillings (equaling .50-2.50 USD) per week, which is documented

Step 4:  The goal is to have the money go out in the form of a small loan to group members, with 10% interest. Each member who desires a loan must apply and have a unanimous vote from the group.
Step 5: The 10% interest must be paid back each week, but the loan must be paid back in 3 months.
Step 6: As money is accrued from interest, the group gains profit for future loans.
Step 7: Welfare account is used for people who are in dire emergencies and need a loan without interest. Must have unanimous vote!
Step 8: After 6 months, most groups have saved up to 1,800 USD and each individual is flourishing in a new small business!
Currently ROWAN has 4 Savings and Loans groups, with more starting every day! This is all part of our self-sustainability plan and process for ROWAN members to empower their families and eventually graduate from our program!
Pastor Paul, Founder of ROWAN calls these groups “The backbone to the ministry.”

“Our passion is to create a culture of savings in our rural communities. Once we have done that, we really have done something remarkable.” -P.Paul

What is ROWAN’s Strategy? Click Here

Excerpt from Joy, our current ROWAN intern:
One of the current micro enterprise projects ROWAN initiated is Passion Fruit! I had the honor to take part in the preparation and planting of the very first passion fruit trees. I joined 20-25 widows from the ROWAN program and what a privilege it was for me to stand next to these beautiful and strong women. I absolutely loved watching them in community with each other, laughing, and working alongside one another. Each one of them carry their own story of hope and it is evident in every way.
Not only is this Passion Fruit garden going to provide income for these women, it is the beginning process for the entire community to adopt and benefit from the fruitful harvest. The trees we planted created a demonstration garden which will be a way for the entire community to learn and begin to plant in their own homes! ROWAN’s hope is to equip and empower the entire community which will in turn have a greater impact on all those in Mawanga and beyond!
*Read more about Joy’s journey into Mawanga and the heart of ROWAN here.

One major lesson ROWAN learned this past year is although schools and clinics may teach on issues such as AIDS, disease and general healthcare, these concepts do not translate into the individual home environment. There is a gap between knowledge and application.
This month ROWAN volunteers Christopher, John, Aidah and Sam took the time to visit every ROWAN member’s household to teach about sanitation and hygiene. Some people may ask, “Why not simply hold one healthcare seminar?” Although seminars are impactful, ROWAN wanted to make it personal. By visiting each home, our volunteer was able to sit in the kitchen and talk through how to purify water and sanitize food and plates. The volunteer went to the bathing area and taught on the importance of hygiene to the entire family. The families opened up and asked personal questions which may not have surfaced in a seminar setting. And the best part is, relationships are built and the love of Christ is exemplified through our servant leaders on the ground.
As you support the medical mission of ROWAN, you are supporting our volunteers who dedicate their lives to transforming the community one widow at a time…one orphan at a time…and soon…one community at a time!