Kathryn loves bright colors and the human spirit. So when she was given the opportunity to travel to Africa with WorldWomenWork (WWW), she jumped at the chance!
During the 3-1/2 week trip, Kathryn visited South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. She found the exotic wildlife on safari amazing and loved touring rural villages with her friend Singer Rankin, founder of WWW, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the economic empowerment of young girls and women and the conservation of endangered species.
“The sunsets were amazing, and we were literally within feet of so many magnificent wild animals,” she said.
It was the young women at a village school that truly moved her. “They are happy people in dire circumstances. At the school they have to sleep on the floor, yet always seem to have genuine smiles on their faces. Most of the students are determined to learn skills they can use to gain some level of economic independence.”
Kathryn was struck by their vivacious spirit and the pride with which they wore their brightly colored and patterned clothing.
She was inspired to create pillows from indigenous fabrics and collaborate with WWW to raise money for the refurbishment of the girls’ dormitory and construction of their own bathroom. The African pillows debut for sale this month at the WorldWomenWork website (www.worldwomenwork.org) and at www.kathrynschumacher.com.
“It was a life-changing trip,” Kathryn said. “We realized that, for people like us with so much, how little it takes to change other lives for the better.”