AMANI SEWING ACADEMY Celebrates Class of 2021 at “Resilient Women of Excellence Graduation Ceremony"

On June 25th, in honor of ‘World Refugee Day," Amani Women Center (AWC) celebrated the graduation of 17 refugee women from seven different countries, including Eritrea, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Bhutan, and Burma. Due to the Coronavirus, 2020-21 was an especially challenging time at AWC, but the women at the Sewing Academy adjusted and worked very hard to succeed. Every refugee woman who comes to AWC has experienced extreme adversity in her home country, followed by the overwhelming demands of building a new life for herself and her family. The Class of 2021 had the additional burden of trying to rebuild their lives amid a global pandemic.

“I will always remember the Class of 2021 as one of the most resilient groups of women we’ve had the pleasure to work with,” said Doris Mukangu, AWC’s executive director and founder. “These women showed their strength and resilience despite all of the extra challenges created by the pandemic.”

Each graduate received a certificate of completion and a new, professional-grade sewing machine. The ceremony also honored and recognized AWC’s many donors, board members, volunteers, friends, and staff, including our astounding community ambassadors. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a buffet of sweet and savory finger foods and desserts from the various countries represented, as well as a display of fashionable garments made by the graduates, in striking, colorful fabrics typical of AWC’s social enterprise brand, ‘Johari Africa.’

Amani Women Center empowers refugee women through education and provides a safe space with culturally sensitive programs and services that contribute to their economic security and overall well-being. AWC’s vision is to provide a one-stop, haven for refugee women of all cultures seeking

a space for spiritual, physical, and mental healing, to help them

“stitch every aspect of their lives together.”

We are grateful for your support. Please feel free to donate toward our mission to graduate a minimum of 25 refugee women a year, teaching and leading them to the path of economic self-sufficiency and the opportunity to earn livable wages.