Featured Product: The Hope Felted Nativity
We know, we know …. October is awfully early to start showcasing a Christmas nativity.
BUT …. we can’t wait another moment to share with you this lovely, heirloom-quality collection. You need plenty of time to decide how many family members are getting this for Christmas! And, we want you to know the story of the wonderfully talented ladies who create them.
Our collectible nativity began in 2018 with Mary, holding Jesus, and Joseph …
It was such a popular holiday item that we decided to expand the set the set the following year. In 2019, we introduced the Royal Trio and their Majestic Camels …
AND PEOPLE LOST THEIR MINDS …
We can’t really blame those who fell over-the-moon in love with these additions … the attention to detail in both sets is incredible.
So, this year, we decided to finish out the collection with two shepherds, their accompanying animals and an angel.
For 2020, we are thrilled to introduce the complete Hope Nativity!
Once again, the ladies working for Handspun Hope in Rwanda, who create these pieces through the art of needle felting, have outdone themselves in terms of intricacy and detail. Each 2020 addition is expertly crafted. You have the Sheep Whisperer …
The Donkey Whisperer …
And, of course, what nativity can be complete without the angel, Heavenly?
If you’re thinking the 2020 Hope Nativity is a bit too large for your needs … fear not! Pieces are available to order separately, offering you the freedom to custom create a nativity that is the perfect size for your home. This also gives you the option to gift this set to someone you love, one set at a time, as a sweet, annual holiday tradition. You can shop the individual pieces in the Felted Sculpture collection within the Hope Artisan Collective.
We also want to share with you a bit about the wonderfully talented women working for Handspun Hope who come to us by way of the Deaf Children Center, not far from our own cooperative in Musanze. The school was established in 2007 and has served the deaf community by offering education and training to students ranging from 5 to 21 years old. It is an amazing educational opportunity, as those with a perceived disability are often marginalized in Rwanda.
In 2018, we learned there were several young ladies who had aged out of the Deaf Children Center but were living there because they could not find employment. In Rwanda, it is very difficult to find any sort of dignified employment when you are living with a perceived disability. We decided to bring the ladies in as interns … to see if Handspun Hope would be a good fit for them. One of these young ladies was Delphine and, if you haven’t read her story, you absolutely should (you can find it here.)
And they were AMAZING when it came to needle felting!
We immediately began hiring the graduates of the Deaf Center and, while they are not all employed as needle felters, they are incredibly talented and wonderfully hardworking.
The Deaf Children Center has offered optional sign language training to the counselors and hearing employees at Handspun Hope. Many of the ladies opted to take the course and can now communicate with graduates from the Deaf Center.
Some of the ladies who are deaf mentioned this was the first time in their lives that anyone outside of the school - including their own family members - had communicated with them through sign.
So, when you order your felted nativity … or any other product made by the ladies of Handspun Hope … it is likely your product has been through the sweet hands of one of these graduates.
Your purchase makes such a difference.
Your donations make such a difference.
It is because of your support that we are able to offer dignified employment to these young women.
