Mimi Kashira

One of the women of our rug hooking guild introduced an angel to us. Mimi Kashira lived in the Congo, became a widow at the tender age of 22 with two boys to feed, nurture and love in a part of the world that is just stricken with so many obstacles that it has to be an enormous task to parent under those conditions. Mimi has now devoted much of her spare time trying to help out women in the Congo. At the onset of talking to us Mimi explains that she is very privileged compared to other women of the Congo. When her husband became a victim of the Rwandan genocide, her family took Mimi and her two boys under their wing and encouraged Mimi to finish her education which she did. Mimi became a lawyer, fled her homeland and after a separation of almost two years she was able to get her two sons over here so that they too could have a better life. Mimi told us firsthand how women in the Congo are treated and it just validated our desire to help even more. Mimi has a smile that lights up a room - after we showed her the rug and what our intentions were when we finished the rug and were able to sell it, all Mimi could say was "thank you"!! You knew that that "thank you" came from a deep rooted place in her soul. I don't think anyone wasn't touched by her presence and the story that she had to tell.

Mimi has set up the MiMi Kashira Foundation which is assisting women in the Congo to have a better chance at life. We are so lucky to have what we have and they need us to help them get just a very small piece of the pie.

Thank you to Joy for introducing Mimi to us and thank you to Mimi for not just walking away from a terrible situation. She truly is an angel.