Our headbands provide way more than a quick fix for summer hair--they help to provide an education for the teenage girls that create
them!

[Check out pics on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Timbali-Crafts/162156237212379?fref=ts ]

The 57 teenage girls that are part of Timbali Craft's headband
project gather on Saturdays to cut fabric and sew. Its a fun time of working
and hanging out together, and they end each time with some Bible study and
prayer. At the end of each month the girls receive a small stipend, per
headband sewn, so they have a little bit of spending money; and just before the
new school year starts in January, they receive full payment for the previous
years work, to be put toward their education costs.

These are not your typical teenage girls. Their
responsibilities at home are big. Many have lost one or both parents to
HIV/AIDS. They do without a lot of the things that we take for granted. Several
weeks ago, some money was donated to do something special for the headband
girls. Allison, who heads up the headband project in Swaziland, used
the money to make up hygiene packs for the girls of soap, deodorant, a wash cloth, and toothpaste. At
first Allison pretended like she had only one hygiene pack to give away as a
prize, and everyone wanted it. When
she told them that she actually had a pack for each girl, they broke out in
cheers. What moves you to jump up and
cheer? I bet soap and deodorant aren't on the list.  I think meeting these girls, and getting a
glimpse into their lives would make even a bald man want to buy a headband! J

Education is a big deal in Swaziland. The government is
working towards providing free education, but still the overwhelming majority
of primary education is not free, and there is no free secondary education. In
a country where 2/3 of population lives on less than a dollar a day, paying
school fees is a struggle. Also, teenage pregnancy is rampant, causing many
girls to drop out of school and fall into the seemingly never-ending cycle of
poverty.

Our hope is that in the face of the statistics stacked
against them that this headband project can become a game changer for these
young womenthat theyll stay in school, that theyll learn skills, and that
theyll find significance and self-worth.

So, what were asking isnt that you buy a head band. Were asking that you buy
TWENTY! Let us send you 20 beautiful
and purposeful headbands to sell, and make a difference in the life of a young
woman in Swaziland. To make it even easier for you, you can either pay up front
or choose to get them on consignment with payment due in one month.

The swimming pool, ball games, camp, family reunions,  VBS, the county fairany summer event you can think of will be even
better with some of our headbands as a part of it! J

Email us at info@timbalicraft.org
to order your 20 pack of headbands (@ $6/ea). Check out www.timbalicrafts.org to view all of
our beautiful products.

 (NOTE: The girls are
limited to sewing 4 headbands a week in order to not distract from their school
work. Their payment is either paid directly to their school for tuition, or if
they choose, they are taken shopping for their uniform and school supplies to insure that the money goes directly toward their education. All proceeds from headband sales go back into the Timbali Crafts project.)