Amani ya Juu (meaning “higher peace” in Swahili) or Amahoro ava Hejuru (in Kinyarwanda) is a sewing-marketing-training project for marginalized women in Africa. The main center is located in Nairobi, Kenya with sister centers in Rwanda and Burundi.

The women involved in the project are learning to work together through faith in God who provides a higher peace that transcends ethnic differences. Amani itself portrays a unique picture of diversity with women coming from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia as well as other African countries.

The project serves a two-fold purpose. First, Amani gives African women the opportunity to improve their sewing and marketing skills. The women gain experience in purchasing, bookkeeping, skill training, quality control, management and design. Second, Amani aims to sow seeds of peace in the hearts of the women as they grow in community and in their faith together. As part of the daily activities at the center, the Amani women participate in singing, praying, Bible study and visiting one another in their homes. Relationships, built upon God’s peace, transform even the most troubled lives.

Amani is committed to fair trade, providing a just pay and holistic development, which contrasts dramatically with the unjust conditions these women are confronted with outside of Amani. Amani implements holistic development by meeting the physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs of those who participate. As the women learn practical skills to improve their quality of life, they also experience God’s healing, moving them beyond their traumatic and difficult pasts.

Over 500 different products are made at Amani ranging from colorful women’s bags to soft toys to tie dyed or wax print place mats and tablecloths. The distinct designs of the products have attracted the eye of many customers around the world.

Amani remains a self-sustaining, nonprofit project. Each sale of a product provides marginalized women a chance to sustain a consistent income. Generated income from the sales is used to provide support for the women and their families and to sustain the growth and development of the centers in Africa. No proceeds from sales are used for administrative salaries but only for the development of the women and the project.