Member Update
Beacon is ‘Weaving Hope’ in Rwanda.
Rwanda continues to suffer extreme poverty. Only 13% of the children attend preschool and nearly 50% of rural children have stunted growth due to malnutrition. Long-time NCTECH member, Beacon Technologies, launched Weaving Hope in August to change the lives of children in Rwanda by building a preschool with a feeding program.
Money for this mission is being raised through the sale of handcrafted African baskets, made by artisans in Gitrama (just outside of Kigali). 100% of the proceeds will go directly toward building a school… maybe more! Each basket sells for $29.95. Construction of the school will start once 1000 baskets are sold).
“I was overwhelmed with what I saw firsthand during my visit to Rwanda this past June,” says Mark Dirks, Beacon’s CEO. “Yes, selling baskets provides the funding to get us to our goal, but it’s so much more. It’s about building a school that will nourish the minds and bodies of children, giving them real hope. I want everyone that buys a basket to feel connected to this new school, as part of our ‘virtual construction crew’”.
Weaving Hope goes full circle by providing income to the basket weavers to help take care of their families, then using the proceeds from basket sales to build schools and feed children into the future.
Beacon, Burton+Burton and the Anglican Church of Rwanda have been working on this venture for nearly 2 years. Wake Forest University and Carson Dellosa, both from the Triad, donated items which were a big hit with the children during our visit. As you will see on the website, children love balloons regardless of where they live, which were provided by Burton+Burton.
Read “Our Story” and learn about the schools, basket weavers and our team on the image-rich Weaving Hope website.
