jua project

Moorhead Family’s Ministry Brings Hope to Local Refugees and Women in Kitale, Kenya

By Amanda Peterson

Photography by Jill Ockhardt

In October 2011, Lindsay Erhardt, 33, moved her family of five from Moorhead to Kitale, Kenya, to start a home for infant orphans. When the project fell through, friends encouraged Erhardt and her husband, TJ, to bravely stay and wait for God to show her family another path.

They are glad they waited. What could have ended in hurtful disappointment opened the way for something beautiful.

Today, the Erhardt family runs a ministry from Moorhead called Jua Project – Jua means “hope” in Swahili, Kenya’s national language. The project’s purpose is clearly reflected in its name, to bring hope to impoverished women in Kitale through job skills and building a sense of community. Women who once struggled to feed their children and provide a home are now starting businesses of their own and sending their children to school.

“Jua Project takes in all kinds of women and pours into their lives, holds their dear faces and says, ‘Yes. You are worth it.’” Erhardt says. “I’ve learned that if people have a purpose and a goal in their mind, they can survive anything. We all need a community to survive and thrive.”

Erhardt, a former social worker, has recently used the same model to serve refugees in her own community. Partnering with Churches United for the Homeless shelter in Moorhead and the Adult Learning Center at Agassiz in Fargo, Jua Project is connecting refugee women with each other through crafting and mentoring classes.

Serving these two groups of women is more than Erhardt could have ever hoped for.

“As the time gets further way from the nine months we lived in Kenya, we see that God had an intentional purpose for us and it was something much bigger than we originally thought,” she says. “We are so grateful for how our eyes have been opened to what is going on in Kitale and our own community.”

Starting Jua Project

In 2011, as the Minnesota family adjusted to Kenyan life and searched for new direction, Erhardt spent much of her time with Priscilla Wairimu, 25, of Kitale. The two women met in during Lindsay’s first service trip to Kenya in 2001 and Erhardt began sponsoring Wairimu’s school fees. A strong friendship formed over the years. When the Erhardts moved to Kenya, Priscilla and her son, Daniel, 5, moved in with them, as close as family.

Wairimu was key in helping start Jua Project in the following months. Together, the two friends reached out into the Kitale community and nearby slums. The reality of slum life shook Erhardt.

“I saw living conditions that I never knew were possible, toddlers rummaging around in dumps and sewage systems,” she says. “I saw children scouring the leftover rotten produce from the market each day. I saw children with bottles of glue in their mouths, an attempt to numb the pain, cold and hunger they felt.”

Wairimu remembers Erhardt saying, “Prissy, we are going to start a project, a place where women will come work, share their painful experiences, encourage each other and learn from each other. Prissy, I do not know how, but God will make the way.”

The Erhardts began by opening their home during the day to seven women in need. They shared meals and Bible studies. They formed friendships and encouraged each other. The Erhardt kids – Ben, now 9, Collin, 7, and Alayna, 3 – played with the Kenyan children while their mothers learned to roll beautiful beads out of old magazine paper and string them into necklaces and bracelets. Erhardt sold the jewelry online in the U.S.

Jua Project was born.

“We helped our moms learn basic small business skills and encouraged them to save a portion of their money each week for emergencies,” Erhardt says. “Today, many of our women have small side businesses outside of our Jua compound to help them further sustain their families.”

Jua Project Today

The Erhardts moved back to the U.S. in July 2012, as originally planned. Wairimu became Jua Project manager, running the day-to-day aspects of the organization. In a small building, she works side-byside with the Jua women 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, making jewelry, sharing lunch and tea, and helping them with any struggles or concerns. On Saturdays, she visits one woman’s home to help her learn cooking, cleaning and parenting skills.

From Moorhead, Erhardt directs the programs, selling the jewelry online and in a small shop at Modern Textiles in downtown Fargo. She oversees the finances, handles marketing and dreams big for this hopeful organization. Lately, that has included reaching out to more women locally.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, Erhardt leads a crafting class for refugee women at the Adult Learning Center. Using loose paper beads created by Jua Project women in Kitale, the Fargo women create new jewelry designs for sale. ALC Coordinator Jennifer Frueh says the classes are helping women bring extra income to their families while doing so much more.

“Through these activities, the women are also able to regain a sense of belonging and purpose, something that hopefully makes their transition to this new world a little easier,” Frueh says.

It’s the same idea behind the new art and mentorship classes Wednesdays at Churches United. Ann Leuthard, support services director at the homeless shelter, says they’ve seen a huge increase in the homeless refugee population. Families are coming to the U.S. and struggling with employment, language and cultural barriers, and housing. Leuthard and Erhardt partnered to bring women together to help each other.

“We really needed to find a way to create a sisterhood for these women,” Leuthard says. “There’s nothing better than women helping women.”

Like everything else with Jua Project, it’s about bringing hope.

“It’s pretty powerful,” Frueh says. “When I wear my beaded necklace, I can’t help but hold onto one bead. I imagine the story behind the woman in Kenya who made it or the face of a local refugee woman who put that item together.” [AWM]