Unique Items Made by the Nhimbe Women Villagers Many women in Zimbabwe love to work with threads, yarns, and fabrics in various ways. “Handing down” the traditional crafts has not been common place, although there is now a resurgence of interest in the ways that women expressed their creativity a few hundred years ago. Today most commonly, women are working with textile skills that they learned from the influence of European immigrants and the British colonization. Nhimbe for Progress, a community project of Ancient Ways, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Oregon, is assisting village women to bring their handwork to the U.S.

The Nhimbe women have skillfully made items for our American homes including aprons, potholders, placemats, as well as purses, bags, and dresses, all using Zimbabwean fabrics.

Additionally, the women knit finger puppets in a wide array of colors. We find adults with these animal and multi-race people puppets dancing on their finger tips, as well as children marveling at the fun. Nhimbe serves to help the women to work together and change their standard of living while raising their families during these devastating times of economic hardship.

Fund Raising

All proceeds from the sales of the women’s crafts go directly to help Nhimbe for Progress. The women, men and children of the 7 Nhimbe villages will benefit as we:

1. Improve sub-standar living conditions: rebuilding and repairing huts, building wells, toilets and fuel-efficient stoves and providing medical assistance.

2. Offer business opportunities to rural Zimbabweans.

3. Improve educational opportunities by sponsoring children unable to pay school fees to attend school ($35 per year), provide teaching materials to schools, and establish a preschool program.

4. Create a community fund to help with the special needs of the elderly, infants, and orphans.

The people in Mhondoro thank you ... Tatenda!
We also thank you!