Allison

Two confessions to start with:

1. Good spelling is fairly ridiculously important to me, so it may surprise you to know that the name of my project, Alli Wano, is actually spelt incorrectly. (It should be Ali Wano.) 

2. I’ve told you that Alli Wano means ‘He is here’ in Luganda. Well, I may have told a half truth about the meaning of the phrase - you see in Luganda there is no distinction between ‘he’ and ‘she’ so the same word that means ‘He is’ can also mean ‘She is’ depending on context.

Why am I telling you this?

As well as wanting to help empower families with disabled children, my project is also a tribute to a girl called Allison. But who is she?

Allison 

Allison Malacara was a woman whose life was full of creativity and determination. A flamboyant Mexican who loved African textiles, Uganda and fashion; she was a stylist to many Ugandan celebrities. She was also my good friend Zoe’s best friend, but tragically Allison died in a road accident in Kampala in 2013. Along with Zoe she had begun to produce and sell kitenge bags and purses in a bid to help children in Kampala. I never met Allison but I know that she meant the world to Zoe so when God asked me to call my project Alli I knew that it referred to both Him and Allison.

Two by two

This brings me to today. Today I met with my seamstress to discuss the way forward for Alli Wano. I found Monica through Pasiss (you can read about her here) and she is a wonderful woman who I can’t wait to work with. 

Even since before coming out here I have wondered why I’m doing it alone. To have someone there to bounce ideas off, as Zoe and Allison had, and to encourage you is invaluable. Jesus always sent His disciples out in pairs at least, but never alone. I have prayed for someone to partner with me and felt today that I had found my partner in Monica. As we sat and discussed designs and training programmes I shared my fears about the project with her and immediately she asked Jesus to take away that fear. 

I have a new found confidence and am pleased to be able to say that training will begin on Tuesday 24^th February!