For Such a Time As This....

Our Give Amore Sewing Students, September 2019. It’s incredible to see how our four year old sewing program is now being used to serve the community at large during this pandemic.

Dearest Partners,

We hope this newsletter finds you safe, healthy and hopeful! I know that so much feels out of our control right now, and it is. But the one thing we can control is our response! We choose to respond to fear with faith. We choose to respond to chaos with peace.

It’s incredible to see how God set the stage four years ago as we began our free sewing school to prepare us for these days as we use it to serve the greater community by providing much needed face masks! In Kenya, if you are caught without a face mask you face 6 months in prison or a $200 fine! We’ve provided over 500 face masks and counting thanks to our generous donors and our Give Amore team! We are beyond thankful!

I’m reminded of this quote:

“ I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

— Mother Theresa

While everything feels beyond our control, we can all choose to spread love, hope and joy. It’s far more contagious than disease! The ripples of what we do now will be felt in the days, months, years and generations to come!

While, we may be a bit behind in sharing photos and updates, please know that our work in Kenya is continuing on and is more important than ever. With no government assistance, no free health care, lack of basic necessities such as water, sewage, electricity and education, we truly are the hands and feet of Jesus to our Kenyan family. THANK YOU for your continued support during these challenging days!

With Much Gratitude and Humility,

Christa Horst

Founding Director, Give Amore

Celebrating the Strength of a Mother

It is a common staple of some understanding that a mother only brings a child into this world, but knowing that they chose to stay and nurture is a blessing. Gladys, the rarest of young mothers, has proven to be an outstanding example of those women who have suffered more than the rest of us, worked harder than most of us and created more good than the rest of us.  

Having been abandoned as a child, raped in her teenage hood and introduced into early motherhood, this wonderful young woman has endured so much ranging from ridicule, anxiety of an uncertain future, difficulties of single parenthood and rejection from her peers.

 However, instead of bitterness, Gladys made good her pain by working hard in school, exuding strong will to learn extra skills such as sewing, caring for her daughter the best way she could, and never complaining about a thing. In another sense, she saw good in the reign of bad.  

Currently social distancing at their remote village in western Kenya, this young Momma vowed to live to be a good example for her daughter by forgiving and letting go of the hurt others caused her. Further, she is proud that what was once considered to mark the beginning of her lifelong misery has turned out to be the source of her greatest joy.

Continued Covid-19 Response

Amid the raging Covid-19 world pandemic, Give Amore upped her fight against this invisible enemy by supplying face masks in some parts of western Kenya. Alongside the masks, food and soap were also distributed to our sponsored families to help see them through these tough times.

During the activity, our team upheld education on the pandemic; emphasizing the importance of wearing masks to protect others in case of infection. Further they demonstrated how to wear and remove them without contaminating one’s hands. For washable masks, they insisted on daily washing with soap to sterilize them.

As cases continue to surge in the country and more stricter measures ratified, most of the locals have had to cut down on their daily food ration to some living on a meal a day to survive. This is due to scarcity of demand on all kinds of menial jobs that they solely depend on.

Over 500 masks were distributed and more are on course. 

A Time to Reflect and Rejuvenate

One of the affirmative outlooks of this pandemic’s impact is how it has given us all a moment to reflect away from our busy lifestyles and realize how we all matter to each other in so many ways despite our potent diversities. 

Without your active involvement, kindness, love for humanity and God, we wouldn’t have made it this far with 22 wells completed and counting. Via this initiative, hundreds of families are now enjoying clean water free from pathogens and so much time converted to economic productivity.

Also tens of women across Western Kenya are economically empowered through our highly impacting sewing school which has culminated to many children kept in school and families provided for. We couldn’t be any happier for this.

Finally, we could overlook your generous contribution in the lives of our sponsored children and staff and how much you have done to grow this big family of love. Give Amore thanks immensely! 

Unprecedented Opportunities to Love

Our Give Amore Team in Kenya, September 2019

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ”

— John 16:33

First off dear partners, we pray this newsletter finds you healthy and safe. In this unprecedented time for our globe, I think we can all agree that we are in this together. Something that has struck me long ago when I started working in Kenya was how what happens across the globe affects us all. We are seeing this clearly now (if there was ever any doubt). We are truly global citizens and how much our physical/emotional health, our faith, and our economies are all connected. We are one kingdom under God! 

 While, none of us were expecting what has occurred to happen, I’m thankful that God provided means for Give Amore prior to this pandemic. While we had hoped to build our 23rd clean water well, we instead used those funds to provide sanitation stations to almost 50 communities! While we had planned to train our next sewing graduates instead we are using the skills of our teachers (one is a graduate from our program) to make hundreds of masks for our team and our community. We hope to continue raising funds to make even more! And while our children are out of school, we are thankful for donations that have allowed us to purchase extra food for our families to offset this burden to the families.

Our newsletter this month is just a glimpse into our COVID-19 response so far. We are working hard to let our faith be stronger than our fear as this disease spreads, it leaves our communities in Kenya open to horrendous outcomes. There’s also a locust swarm (the size of the state of California) heading for Kenya. These two disasters are in God’s hands. All we can do is pray and continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our brothers and sisters across the globe. We are using the time, talents and treasures God has given us to do our part in stopping the spread and to give love, hope and joy! 

We thank you for your support, prayers and partnership. We pray for God’s face to shine upon you and give you His supernatural peace.

Your Sister in Christ,

Christa Horst 

Founding Director

Give Amore

Covered With Love

Judith, one of our Give Amore team members, is on the front lines in Kenya as she supports our children with health assessments, home visits and more! These handmade masks by our Made with Amore teachers will help protect our team and our community at large.

Give Amore has converted its sewing class into a ‘mini factory’ producing masks to be distributed to our community. This is a tremendous contribution towards the fight against Covid-19 that is taking a destructive toll world over.

Our first batch targets the production of about three hundred masks or even more for the community around us and even beyond. The masks are made from locally available fabric and some are toned up with the touch of African prints. Because there is a universal shortage of essential PPEs and given the deprived state of the locals, these reusable masks come in handy to help protect them from the virus.

Some of the masks are already distributed alongside information of their paramountcy in protecting others from the deadly virus. Further, our well informed team taught them of personal hygiene and behavioral/cultural adjustments that are essential in stopping this enemy.

Contact such as handshakes, hugs, etc. are a huge thing in Africa and has existed for centuries therefore placing it on the firing range of the virus. We pray for change hence a better outcome!

Supply Distribution COVID-19 Style

Joseph using his community’s new hand-washing station equipped with extra soap, a basin and a demonstration on how to properly wash their hands.

Our second 2020 general distribution went down differently from our tradition due to Corona virus related restrictions. Our usual congregation at the Give Amore center was replaced with our team transporting supplies to the homes of the beneficiaries.

Besides the food and toiletries we typically issue, this time there was an augmentation of hand washing stations, extra food and soap to supplement their provisions during these lean moments and help curb the spread of the virus in case of an outbreak in the remote rural areas.

All our sponsored children come from families that live on under a dollar a day and thus are faced with tough times ahead unless this virus is contained.

Currently Kenya records an average of eight cases daily, a number that would grow exponentially if a countrywide mass testing would be conducted. This would give a better perspective on its national spread hence containment; meanwhile we are doing the best we can to contribute in the fight against this invisible enemy.

More Women Empowered for Business

Our recent graduates proudly sitting behind their new Singer sewing machines they earned through our one of a kind sewing school!

On a hope-instilling twist of things, Our Made with Amore program saw off six graduates from its tailoring training school well equipped and ready to take on sewing opportunities around them. The graduates spent six months eagerly learning sewing skills absolutely free!

Each of the ladies took home a graduation gift package of a sewing machine, sewing kit and a new dress made as an exhibition of their unrivalled prowess. Some of these women are widows, survivors of failed abusive marriages, while others are semi-literate individuals who had to quit school for various reasons.

By empowering them, not only do you help put daily bread in their bellies, but also keep their children in school and give them a sense of purpose. While exuding great excitement, they were so grateful to you for making their dreams come true and launching them into business.

Perspective from a New Generation of World Changers

Dearest Give Amore Supporters,

I’m excited to share with you that God is providing for us in so many new and exciting ways! A season of change is upon us and it’s been fun to see support and encouragement when we needed it most! THANK YOU!!! I also wanted to share a sweet recap from an exciting opportunity that Give Amore was blessed to be a part of-our local high school’s service day! Read this month’s article for more about this specific opportunity but this sweet recap that one of the students wrote warms my heart! I learned so much from these young world changers! First off, they are social media pros and they offered perspective into how we can better communicate and engage their generation with what we are doing! I hope you enjoy this recap from one of the students…

Christa Horst, Give Amore Founding Director

My name is Dominic Gearing and I am a sophomore at Dripping Springs High School. When I first found out about service day I wasn't really too excited about it. I thought, while it was a good concept, it really did not help anybody and just would end up being a bunch of kids messing with shovels outside for a couple of hours. This all changed when I got assigned for a special service day group. My business teacher took over a dozen students to help a non-profit, Give Amore, with their business and marketing. This to me was much more interesting and I saw the opportunity to use my skills to really help someone. 

Give Amore, I learned, was a small non-profit dedicated to helping people in Kenya. They secure sponsorships of children so that they can receive their education and be taken in by families. They then become a blessing to that household and village by getting the whole family food provisions monthly, instead of being the economic burden they would normally be. They also recently have built over 20 clean water wells for many villages throughout Kenya. This was intriguing to me, not only because of how much good they do but also because of how small, focused, and dedicated this non-profit is. 

I was excited to use my talents to help them in any way possible. When we arrived, we were put into 3 groups. I was assigned to help update and edit their website, while the other groups designed t-shirts and worked on social media marketing for the business. Over a short 3.5 hours, we accomplished what would have taken months without the extra hands, and learned a lot about the project. I think overall it was a very successful day and was much more productive and meaningful than I would have imagined. I enjoyed it so much I would like to continue working with Give Amore to help the children and the Kenyan community who need it so much. It is a great organization with a great service and mission and I can’t thank them enough for giving us the opportunity to participate and help.

Well #22 Flowing with Joy, Hope and Love

Look at the joy for this community that received our newest clean water well!

 Ever imagined something as abundant as clean water to be so scarce and even the slightest of its presence to be very reassuring and promising continuity and ease of life? Well a remote village in western Kenya, where clean water has been history for as long as they can remember had a magnificent chance to receive, a clean water well has been gifted to them courtesy of your generous thoughtful giving. 

This blessing is located strategically in Violette, Moses and Queen’s home, all sponsored children of Give Amore.  This family is the custodian of this well and will protect it while reaping the joy and love from opening their gates to the larger community to quench its thirst.

This well adds up our total number of wells dug in various communities to twenty two (22)- a number we are confident we can grow further through our wonderful God-sent partnership to eradicate waterborne maladies while providing lasting solutions to clean water scarcity problems in Kenya.

To be part of this big dream, visit our website and be the vessel of massive blessings in the world.

Still Sewing into a Brighter Future

Rukia,l a single other of two, sits in our Made with Amore sewing class eager for the skills and opportunity for her to provide for her family.

In our February newsletter publication we had asked for your help to save our tailoring school program and guess what??? We are so gratified by your intervention that aided in saving our life transformative program from shutting down hope for a brighter future for many who need it.  

In the class of seven sits Rukia (shown above) a single mother of two who not only enrolled to gain sewing skills, but also set on the avenue of entrepreneurship via the gifts of a sewing machine, sewing kit and a stool upon her graduation. Engulfed in abject poverty, this opportunity is not an alternative for her, but the only option to keep her children fed and in school.

The news that she will continue with her training successfully to completion came as a pleasant surprise to her and the rest of her classmates. She described it simply as “Answered prayers!” amidst joy of disbelief. 

The sewing team and the rest of Give Amore family thank you, our dedicated donors, for this wonderful act of neighborliness, love and compassion.

Sharing Talents and Skills for a Cause

Dripping Springs High School students support Give Amore for their Service Day!

Despite an uncertain start of the year 2020 for us, it turns out God had so much blessings in wait for Give Amore this month. It is a period that not only got so much done, but also saw the highest number of volunteers coming on board when they were most needed. 

Volunteers range from friends, family and well-wishers of Give Amore but the big surprise was that of  the Dripping Springs high school students who apart from learning  so much about Give Amore got hands on to help on everyday Give Amore tasks. The tasks ranged from website updates, social media, photo editing, graphic design and so much more.

More help is always greatly appreciated and you get to be part of a much bigger and vibrant course of changing lives for the better and have a front row seat to all the God is doing around the world! It’s so encouraging Give joy, Give hope and Give Amore!

Season of Change

As with all things in life, things change. And God uses change for our good…to grow us, to make our roots stronger, to give other people opportunities to grow, to teach us and to remind us of who He is and that He is in control. Pruning is often painful. It doesn’t look how we want it to look. We hate cutting back in order to be stronger. It’s not in our nature. But any good gardener knows, it’s necessary! Well, Give Amore is in a pruning season.

It is with a sad (but trusting God) heart, that I let you know that Heather Duncan, a vital member of our incredible Give Amore team will be stepping away from her work with us. We don’t know what He has planned for her, or for us, but we know He has great plans for us all-to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). 

The sad part for me really comes from just truly adoring Heather and her heart to serve. She’s helped us so much and was an answer to years of prayer I had. I saw God provide. I know he can do it again! But she will be missed by us and our team tremendously! She’s not abandoning us but she is transitioning her work over to us and that leaves a huge hole to fill for us all. She was the best darn travel partner for 3 trips to Kenya filled with so much adventure, highs, lows, tears, laughter and so many front row seats to miracles. Lost/held hostage luggage, missed connections and being rerouted to Ghana, camping in the Masai Mara, “sliding in faith”, jiggers, “meeting men about dogs” (don’t ask ☺), are just a favorite of our adventures! These kind of experiences and friendships are rare and she’s been a true joy to me and to all of our Kenyan family who adore her too. If you’ve noticed our website organization with photos posted and organized for all of our events/activities/children, you can thank her! She’s truly amazing.

I say all of this to let you know there’s a HUGE void right now for Give Amore until God works out what our next season will look like. For me, it’s hard to imagine anyone filling her shoes. I prayed for years for her and one day she literally just showed up! I know God can do it again! But we wait! If you’d like to be a part of our ministry, we can use you! We need help with website/photo organization, mailchimp, social media, fundraising, future trip planning and more! Please reach out to me if God has put a tug on your heart to be a bigger part of what we are doing! We can use all gifts, talents, time and treasures! 

As always, we want to thank you for your support through prayer, financial giving, social media sharing and more! For over 5 years, Give Amore has been able to accomplish so much because of the combined effort of many doing what they can! We are in awe to see how 

God continues to provide and sustain us! We trust that this pruning process will cause us to bear even more fruit. 

Christa Horst

Founding Director

Give Amore 

A few housekeeping items: 

1. I wanted to make sure everyone has received their Tax Statement from Women’s Non-Profit Alliance (our 501c3 umbrella). If you have not, please email me at christa@giveamore.org and I can email that to you.

2. We are finally caught up from our December activities and have uploaded all the photos of the children from December as well as our most recent Made with Amore graduates and our newest well! We post these so you can see your sponsored children grow and thrive and so you can see how your generous funds are used. We have full transparency and want you to feel confident in knowing your funds are used how you intended them. 

   1. Children photos can be found here: http://www.giveamore.org/children-profiles

   2. Well photos can be found here: http://www.giveamore.org/clean-water

   3. Distribution photos can be found here: http://www.giveamore.org/sponsor-a-child

   4. Made with Amore sewing school photos can be found here: http://www.giveamore.org/sewing-program

21st Well It Is!

Thirsty children come to their new source of clean water just steps from their homes!

Our latest addition to the Give Amore’s portfolio of boreholes is our well number twenty one which was commissioned and handed over to Emily’s community two weeks ago via a prayer session graced by the Give Amore team Kenya, local leaders and a delegation of the beneficiary community. 

The marveled community praised this problem solving project terming it thoughtful and most timely especially in this dry season when clean safe water is barely accessible. Moreover, they extended their heartfelt gratitude and love to the sponsors and the entire team who made this possible.

This wonderful well has only activated its fathomless service to approximately over twenty homesteads each consisting of at least five nuclear families and so much more from neighboring villages and beyond. 

Finally, our 22nd well’s sinking is on course and should be completed soon. The well is located in a remote location that is also home to Queen, Moses and Violette, all sponsored children of Give Amore.

Our Tailoring School Concern

Here one of our Made with Amore sewing school graduates proudly shows off her business that provides stable income for her to provide for her and her family and end the cycle of poverty she was in.

Our sewing program is one of the vital means for Give Amore’s focus on long-term techniques to sow in the community seeds of self-sustenance and enterprise that eventually will result into enduring positive impacts in future. Unfortunately this may not be realized due to the rising financial concerns threatening its progression. 

Over the years we have graduated tens of students, majority being women, each receiving a sewing machine and a sewing kit to catapult them into the vast world of entrepreneurship to give back to the society and yes almost all of them have been successful in setting up small business in their villages.  These small fashion shops give them tenacity, put food on their tables and keep their children in school but sadly this may not be the case for our current students who for months have worked hard and are deserving of this life changing sendoff package.

To save this program we need you as we always have because saving this program means saving and changing hundreds of lives of women and children who desperately need it.  To find out how you can lend a helping hand, visit www.giveamore.org/donate today and give a gift of education, of hope and of love.

Mentorship for Greatness

Brenda has displayed traits of leadership, holding herself to a higher standard and is a wonderful role model for her peers and those younger than her.

Apart from education sponsorship and so much more offered to her in hope, joy, and love, Brenda has so much going on for her through a revamped mentorship program by Give Amore. Her now important role not only gives her added purpose, but also a chance at giving back  the best way she can to the family she’s known over the years. 

Brenda and other select influential teenagers are now leaders of caucuses of sponsored children carefully selected and put together by our staff and are now charged with tasks and responsibilities of guiding, listening to, informing and advising their members on all aspects presented to them. 

This idea is based on the truth that they have constant interaction with each other and therefore are much more in touch with their struggles, joys and achievements at a personal level. Further, this program seeks to hone their leadership and life skills, and friendships, for the beautiful future that awaits them. 

Apart from education sponsorship and so much more offered to her in hope, joy, and love, Brenda has so much going on for her through a revamped mentorship program by Give Amore. Her now important role not only gives her added purpose, but also a chance at giving back  the best way she can to the family she’s known over the years. 

Brenda and other select influential teenagers are now leaders of caucuses of sponsored children carefully selected and put together by our staff and are now charged with tasks and responsibilities of guiding, listening to, informing and advising their members on all aspects presented to them. 

This idea is based on the truth that they have constant interaction with each other and therefore are much more in touch with their struggles, joys and achievements at a personal level. Further, this program seeks to hone their leadership and life skills, and friendships, for the beautiful future that awaits them. 

Our 2020 Vision

Dearest Partners,

I can’t believe we are celebrating 5 years of Give Amore! 5 years! 20 wells completed, dozens of children graduating from high school, thousands of feet free of jiggers, dozens of men and women providing for their families, roofs replaced, needs met, the love of God shared and HOPE for a brighter future!

What a privilege to be on this journey and to have you all join me. God gave me a vision long ago that He could use me to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth. But was I willing to surrender some things to him and trust him? I knew if he gave me the vision then he would make a way. I just had to be willing. I’m in awe to see what He’s accomplished through Give Amore, despite me. 

 As we were wrapping up 2019 and I was busy mommin’ and getting through the holidays. I was feeling a bit down that I hadn’t done enough to communicate with everyone about what we have done and how to get involved. I felt like I was failing at social media. I felt like I was failing at leading my team as I don’t communicate with them the way I had envisioned I would…you know sending them daily affirmations, prayers, Bible and life lessons. I felt like I was failing at parenting, because 2.5 weeks with everyone is often too much for me (God bless you mamas that can’t stand to be away from your precious littles). Well, I was checking my email when I saw that we had received donations for almost 4 clean water wells in one 12 hour period! WHAT???? That is sooooo God and so how he likes to show up. It was a reminder to me that HE is in control. He doesn’t need me or my social media prowess. He doesn’t need me to do Facebook Lives and speaking engagements and sell tote bags. While all those things are great and they certainly don’t hurt, they are not required for HIM to stir in people’s hearts to support Give Amore! He can do that with or without me! Praise God how I needed that reminder!

So, I come now with abundance and expectation as we embark on our 6th year and we have wells 21-25 fully funded (5 wells for 2020 already!)!!! All of our children are sponsored! We graduated 6 sewing students in December! And lives are being transformed through the love of Jesus Christ in Kenya. Our mission, the vision God gave me, is going strong thanks to you all! 

I cannot thank you enough for supporting Give Amore these past 5 years! Being a part of this journey has strengthened my personal relationship with God and gives me such hope for the future of the world for our children. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2020 with you all on our side! 

God bless,

Christa Horst

Give Amore Founding Director

Pauline Transformed

Pauline (pictured left) at our September jigger clinic was severely infested with jiggers in her hands and feet. Her entire family was as well! Our team worked tirelessly to rid her and her home of jiggers then surprised them with new bedding, clothing, food provision, toiletries, a cow, a goat and a chicken (in a pear tree)!

2020 commenced on an ecstatic note for Give Amore as we report immense and unfathomable life transformation for Pauline and her family from massive jigger infestation to great manifestation of healing and blessings.

Drawing from our clinic held last fall, this beauty was the hard hit by the jiggers  in contrast other victims; her agony was conspicuously envisaged all over her face. From a distance it appeared like her soles were falling off with no chance of any possible recovery where as her fingers gave chills even to the strongest.

Today, thankfully all her jiggers are gone and health restored. Pauline can now walk with her head high in celebration of this new chapter of her life amidst disbelief of her used to be bullies at school.

Further, her family was soaked in blessings of a cow, goat, chicken, household items, and toiletries. Also, her home was thoroughly fumigated to avert any possible chance of re-infestation by these blood sucking parasites.

Well of Wellness #21

Emily, a teenager in our sponsorship program, was in school so she was not present for this photo. However, Violet also in our sponsorship program (pictured center in red dress) also lives in this community! We are blessed that two children in our program will receive this much need clean water source!

With the dawn of the New Year came the joy of a new well, somewhere in western Kenya, courtesy of Give Amore bringing the total tally of current wells dug to twenty one. The well is situated at Emily’s home and is projected to serve over fifty families on its completion.

Being the dry season in Kenya, most households have snags accessing clean safe water for consumption leaving them to long treks in search for this precious item in unsafe open water sources. Therefore, this well boosts our essential objective of helping eradicate waterborne diseases while easing access to clean safe water.

The well digging is on course and should be completed in close to a fortnight. This new baby will keep growing our family of wells as well as the numerous families we have already blessed and so many more to come.

Back to School!

Our team presents Paloma with Most Improved Student Award for the 2019 school year!

Schools this month reopened after a 60-day rest for learners. As much as it is great news, back to school bustles are not easy to keep up with in Kenya. However, we managed to beat deadlines and our children are successfully back to school all-expenses paid!

As previously planned, every child in our school sponsorship program received a package of stationery, course books as well as reading books. On the other hand, our team made it their personal errand to ensure that all outstanding tuition fees, examination fees and other sundry expenses were fully settled for the remaining bit of the year.

Also, among the items distributed were essential toiletries, prayers and great motivation from our team. The children were excited to resume school for the second of three terms this year knowing that they will stay in school and focus on learning other than worrying of dropping out.

From the look registered on their faces, they are all set to learn new things that will eventually translate into shaping a brighter future for them. We wish all them best and God’s protection over them.