This collection was birthed in Bentonville, Arkansas over Christmas and New Years break. 
We named it Mombasa Raha (good vibes/ happiness) because the seed beads were purchased in Mombasa, Kenya. Also because Mombasa has a way of just forcing you to let go of the stress in life. There's something about this historic city that forces you to slow down, relax and just be at peace with the fact that you can't control time and you cannot control the universe. Being there forces you to find harmony within yourself, even if the world is going through chaos. 

Given that it's only been six days into 2021 and there was already fracas at the US Capitol, we felt that the Mombasa Raha vibe is what we needed to put out there as creatives. We hope you enjoy our collection (there are several more pieces in this collection) and choose to settle your spirit despite all that continues across globe. 

To quote one of our aunts, it will be well. 
Cheers 
Miriam and The Empowerment Initiative Team 
PS: Enjoy the tunes from across the globe we selected for this blog post. This is some of what we listen to on the road as we travel from city to city for the various pop ups we attend.  

FACTS ABOUT MOMBASA #ForeverLearning (get to know the cities we frequent for raw materials and sales): Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya. Located on Kenya's Eastern coastline bordering the Indian Ocean, it's original Arabic name is Manbasa. In Kiswahili, it is called "Kisiwa Cha Mvita", which means "Island of War" due to the many changes in its ownership. Sourced from: http://www.mombasa-city.com/brief_history_of_Mombasa.htm

Hey there, 
How are you doing?
How has 2021 kicked off for you?

We are doing well and finding that we are a little more settled despite all that is going on in the world. 
So we are wishing you a centered and focused 2021. 

Below are the various braids we have available. 

We are still collecting books for a few schools in Kenya. We are also interested in any gift bags and tissue (gift wrapping tissue) you might want to get rid of after the holiday season. All of these can be dropped off at My Lil Bloomers in Downtown Noblesville. They are open between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM and this is their address: 876 Logan St, Noblesville, IN 46060.

Please text us if you have any questions or concerns about drop offs: 7656060777

We will ship the first batch of books in February/ March via Spectrum LLC in Noblesville, Indiana if we do not secure an airline partner that can help us get the books home.

Donations to help pay for the freight shipment can be sent to Miriam Mudenge, our organization president:www.paypal.me/MirryMimu

In case you need to reach us via e-mail, please write toLHoCreationsNOW@gmail.com.

Also, we have been farming and we will continue growing a lot of the vegetables we need, and rely on, especially in regards to our traditional staples that we can't find in American grocery stores.

We'd love to connect with you about having a green thumb or possibly even beginning to have a green thumb... even if you're starting out with houseplants, get in touch. As we live out 2021, instead of complaining about social distancing and staying at home, we can begin to farm (even indoors) and do something small, but necessary for our planet. 

Rotten is one of the documentaries we consumed (lol) in 2020 (lol again). It's available on Netflix. If you ate any of our global meals last year, you ate garlic. I do not like the taste of garlic but i know it enhances a lot of the East African spices and seasonings I use for cooking. Miriam (Madam President) started the garlic journey we are on with a shriveled piece she found in the fridge. As young ladies that were raised in East Africa, we are very conscious about food waste.