Carol Schillios created the Fabric of Life Foundation to help young women in developing countries go from beggars to businesswomen. With a credit union colleague in Bamako, Mali, West Africa, the Foundation...

Carol Schillios created the Fabric of Life Foundation to help young women in developing countries go from beggars to businesswomen. With a credit union colleague in Bamako, Mali, West Africa, the Foundation established the Hèrè jè Training Center in March 2005 in response to the poverty and living conditions in Mali, West Africa.

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world with 70% of rural population below the poverty line. The Hèrè jè Training Center provides business skills, literacy and health training as well as access to safe savings and affordable loans. Here, begging young women ages 12-25 are helped off the streets and immediately receive a stipend of $20 a week to stabilize their food needs. This stipend ensures they don't have to beg during training as they learn skills to help them generate income through a fair wage and become micro-entrepreneurs. The goal is to enable them to become self-supporting for life.

Our hope is to reach the young women before they are forced into prostitution because of extreme need (hunger). The first 10 young women graduated in July 2006 and twenty new women are participating in the second training session (with graduation in June, 2008.)

We have begun the "Circle of Friends Giving Thanks" Campaign to give you and others a way to participate in changing the economic prospects for one woman in Africa. One action creates fabric of change. Please support the Fabric of Life Foundation.