We recently connected with DORIS MUKANGU and have shared our conversation below.
DORIS, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from a genuine belief in the goodness of humanity and that there is abundance for everyone. I left my home country Kenya in 2002 in search of a higher education and found myself in a terrain that I was unfamiliar with. In the halls of universities that I attended and in the classrooms, I met professors and students who offered a warm smile or a helping hand to this foreign student. This hospitality made my journey much easier on days that I was homesick and especially on holidays like Thanksgiving where I was welcomed to a turkey feast and celebration. Never underestimate how far a kind gestures goes in leaving an indelible impression in a stranger’s heart. These acts of kindness would years later compel me to start a non-profit organization (Amani Women Center) that helps refugees and immigrants like myself navigate their new home country. My optimism is fueled even more so today as big hearted Americans locally and even nationally rally to support new Americans in their acculturation process.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am the founder and CEO of a 501 c3 non-profit Amani Women Center.
Amani Women Center is a gem located in Clarkston, Georgia a resettlement hub for refugees from all over the world. The uniqueness of the communities we serve calls for unique programs and services. AWC is special in that it is the only sewing program that is up-skilling refugee women with the aim of empowering them to enter the work force earning livable wages.
The exciting news about this program is that it has grown exponentially in the past few years. This growth has opened up an opportunity for us to launch a small-scale manufacturing team. We are able to cater to small businesses production needs by providing a “made in America” option right here in their back yard. All this prepares refugee women to be self-sufficient as they are given different avenues to pursue employment or to start a home based business.
Another exciting thing that we would like folks to know about is our showroom located at 3777 church street in Clarkston. This welcoming space has an array of crafts, apparel and home décor made by refugee women currently in the sewing program or alumni of the program.
For those who may not be able to get to our showroom, we have a website where they can purchase our lovely goods johariafrica.com
We also have another exciting initiative that we hope to garner support for. Amani’s Save Our Sisters (SOS) initiative seeks to secure medical care for refugee women in Clarkston, GA suffering from serious health problems caused by Female Genital Cutting (FGC).
By purchasing our cloth button items (necklaces, bookmarks, hair clips and pins, magnets), proudly handcrafted by refugee women at the Amani Sewing Academy, you are helping refugee women access life-changing medical services, including restorative surgery.
You may find more info to support us at this link https://www.johariafrica.com/handmade-button-necklaces.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say the qualities I believe have helped me in my journey were instilled in me from childhood. Namely, reverence for the creator of all of creation. and respect for all human kind not matter their station in life.
I would also advise, find a theme song/word for you life. Ever since I can remember I have always desired for peace and it has been the vibration that surrounds me and follows me. This is why I named my non-profit Amani – meaning peace in Kiswahili.
I would advise folks who are early in their journey to always be true to themselves and to have an open mind and open heart. Doors that are meant to open for you will open and doors that close for you should not worry you, because they are not meant to be. Also, do not hesitate to open doors for others who come behind you. We live a karmic life. A door that you open for someone leads to many other doors opening for you.
In addition I would like to encourage folks to follow a path that aligns their passion to their chosen career. Recognizing that I have a heart to help others, I decided to pursue a higher education at Emory, Rollins School of Public Health and an executive education at Harvard Kennedy School. This enabled me to acquire the right tools to do my work more efficiently and effectively. There is nothing more fulfilling than to live in your calling.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
1. We want to grow our small scale manufacturing business. As such. we are looking for folks with apparel manufacturing experience, pattern and cutting experience, and marketing and sales experience – to be able to place our unique handmade products in specific stores. We are also looking for folks who can generate leads that will open up opportunities for our manufacturing arm. This will translate into consistent income for the refugee women.
2. We are looking for small businesses or designers that need products/items made or larger businesses that want to outsource some of their products to be made by our production team.
3. We are also looking for funders to support our efforts to secure a larger building to house all our operations and to purchase additional industrial sewing machines. This will help us address the gender wage gap by getting more women skilled and ready to enter the workforce earning livable wages.
4. A good partner for us would be folks in the retail business who would like to give us an opportunity to showcase and sell our unique products at their stores. We believe that our manufacturing team is more than capable to handle orders in thousands of various products. We have produced everything from dog collars to throw-pillow covers to make-up bags and other home-décor items.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amaniwomencenter.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amaniwomencenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amaniwomencenter/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amani-women-center/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/amaniwcenter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmFn2QVkWak1DD7zmjQAeog/videos?view=0&sort=da
Image Credits
Reggie REM Erawoc
