Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Mes Amis! We made it!!

What a year! It was very busy and exhausting! I focused more on my nonprofit and let others manage the fashion business. During the first quarter of the year, I focused on having a successful gala for my nonprofit so we could finally get partners. I really had to learn how to delegate.

I fell more in love with my kids at the orphanage. I wanted to find a way to meet all their needs, which took a toll on me. One child was having a particularly hard time. She is smart, vivacious, and charming but couldn’t function well in the orphanage. I decided to take her out of the all-girls orphanage, place her with family in Kinshasa and enroll her in a private school. Non-Congolese can’t adopt children since 2016. We are not allowed dual citizenship. Children were being sold to human trafficking rings and/or for their organs. Frankly, it would have been too much of an adjustment to bring her to America as a 15-year-old. She is happy, thriving, and feels immense love. I will always be grateful to my family member for taking her in and making her a part of the family.

We streamlined the fashion business and dealt with the actual loss and effect of Covid on our Artisans. We shifted our strategy to support them better and to keep the business going. We also started working in Benin on a super exciting project. More of that to come later!

We got a 100-acre farm in Maluku!! I am sooooo excited about this. The war in Ukraine has taught African leaders the importance of focusing on agriculture and growing their own food to feed their growing population. Without innovation and focus on agriculture, we will not thrive and develop. It will also allow us to feed our artisans, orphans, and elders healthier food.

I traveled, traveled, and traveled a lot in 2022. As a mom, you have so much to do to ensure things are okay before you leave. There’s always mommy guilt and not to mention the exhaustion from quick trips to Africa and back. We are adjusting, improving, and dealing with our new reality. Going back to Africa feeds my soul in a way that I can’t describe.

So I haven’t made a New Years’ resolution in five years. I would kick myself for not meeting my goals and end up feeling bad. I will share my wishes for 2023 instead. I’m hoping that we as humans continue to learn from each other, be kind to one another and help out the neediest. I’m hoping for peace in Congo, Ukraine, the Sahel region, and all the other conflicted areas. I’m hoping for more wisdom, good health, and to make great memories.

I wish you all a wonderful 2023! We made it through 2022, and that alone is an accomplishment!

Love,
A

Binge watch our new series: ADOLOPHINE IN AFRICA