{"id":3188,"date":"2014-03-04T15:45:45","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T15:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=3188&post_type=story"},"modified":"2020-06-29T16:48:00","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T16:48:00","slug":"4love-nonprofit-empowers-women-in-panama","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/4love-nonprofit-empowers-women-in-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"4Love Nonprofit Empowers Women in Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"
Spring 2014<\/em><\/p>\n [lead]“I\u00a0read a book called\u00a0Half the Sky<\/i>\u00a0that ignited something inside of me<\/strong>. I knew that I wanted to do something to empower women in developing countries. I hoped that one day my idea would come to fruition.”[\/lead]<\/p>\n “In 2011, I moved to Panama.<\/strong> I took a leap of faith, left a job that I loved and followed God\u2019s calling for my life.”<\/p>\n “One day I was sitting in a local church<\/strong> where I was surrounded by indigenous Ng\u00f6be\u2013Bugl\u00e9 women.\u00a0I was admiring their dresses, called nagua, which use layering of different colors to form a pattern.\u00a0I was inspired and started sketching ideas for a clothing line that would become 4Love.”<\/p>\n “Getting Panamanian women on the team was a process.<\/strong> They are usually seen as the homemakers, and a majority of women don\u2019t have the opportunity to work to contribute to their family. But now I am employing five women, and each one receives fair trade wages and education. Teaching them a trade creates a ripple effect that impacts their children.”<\/p>\n “I rent a little house on the outskirts of Boquete.<\/strong> I painted the walls hot pink and blue to create an atmosphere that was happy and inviting. I have a sewing room where the women have everything they need to create the embellishments that are added to the dresses. There is also a classroom where I run my nonprofit, Sowing Seeds of Love. I have a little library and play area set up for the children so while their mothers work, they can learn to read.”<\/p>\n “One of the best moments<\/strong> is when we teach the women how to write their names. The hanging tag of each dress has the signature of whoever made the embellishment, and often the women \u2014 who are in their late 20s \u2014 are writing their names for the first time.”<\/p>\n “Sometimes I will call my mom with tears of joy<\/strong> because I can\u2019t believe this is my life. My motivation is love, and I get to experience that every day. That\u2019s the greatest success of all.”<\/p>\n [callout background=”#592b2b”][slideshow slug=”in-the-name-of-love”][\/slideshow][\/callout]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3835,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3188","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","issues-14","issues-spring-2014"],"yoast_head":"\n