Our Story
The seeds of the business that we now call "Ruhamah Designs," began as a simple craft time in an aftercare home for survivors of trafficking in 2006.
A couple of women already knew how to do Aari work, the ancient Indian embroidery of sequins, beads and silk threads.. Most afternoons saw them seated on the floor around a large wooden loom creating beautiful designs on block printed material. We bought four sewing machines and started turning the embroidery into bags and cushion covers.
Right away we noticed the women were happier during these hours than at any other time. Women would chat and laugh as they worked, creativity blossomed and every moment was purposeful. We were invited to sell the products at a Christmas fair in the school. The women saw people pouring over their bright colors, exclaiming over the designs, and lining up to purchase the gorgeous handmade items.
We saw the miracle of self-respect grow almost before our eyes, as women realized they had made something worthwhile that people actually wanted. For the first time they had a skill. The joy and dignity experienced by the women in that moment birthed in us a great desire to make business a foundation stone in the rebuilding of the women's lives.
In 2008 we transitioned from sewing projects to jewelry making. It only takes a few hours to teach an average woman how to make her first pair of earrings. Very few tools were required, and the end product was light and easy to ship. We lived in India, where semi-precious stones and other natural materials abounded. Women were originally paid per piece but then transitioned to a salary base. They began to open bank accounts and to learn to manage their money. We started sending the jewelry to events and craft fairs in return of donations. The little micro-enterprise was turning into a full fledged business, bursting with potential.
In 2010 Ruhamah Designs was officially launched. A wise and lovely volunteer found the name "Ruhamah" in the Old Testament, Hosea 2:1. God asks Hosea to marry Gomer as a symbol of God's eternal commitment to wayward Israel. Their union reflected God's undying love for His chosen one, the nation of Israel. When Hosea and Gomer had a daughter, God calls her "Ruhamah," the one God loves. We knew the word beautifully described the women who lived and worked with us: the ones whom God loves.
Ruhamah is a stepping stone for women to return to their home in their village, with money in their pocket, with a new identity and as women to be respected and not pitied. The financial independence created by Ruhamah Designs has given each woman the chance to stand on her own.
Today our products are available through online shopping, partnering boutiques, and jewelry parties hosted by women all over America. Ruhamah Designs is growing rapidly, ensuring that more women have secure job opportunities after rescue. Our logo, a block print of a young, tender shoot, black at its base and turning green as it rushes upwards to the sun, is the perfect reflection of this promise, beauty and growth we see every day encapsulated in our artisans.
A couple of women already knew how to do Aari work, the ancient Indian embroidery of sequins, beads and silk threads.. Most afternoons saw them seated on the floor around a large wooden loom creating beautiful designs on block printed material. We bought four sewing machines and started turning the embroidery into bags and cushion covers.
Right away we noticed the women were happier during these hours than at any other time. Women would chat and laugh as they worked, creativity blossomed and every moment was purposeful. We were invited to sell the products at a Christmas fair in the school. The women saw people pouring over their bright colors, exclaiming over the designs, and lining up to purchase the gorgeous handmade items.
We saw the miracle of self-respect grow almost before our eyes, as women realized they had made something worthwhile that people actually wanted. For the first time they had a skill. The joy and dignity experienced by the women in that moment birthed in us a great desire to make business a foundation stone in the rebuilding of the women's lives.
In 2008 we transitioned from sewing projects to jewelry making. It only takes a few hours to teach an average woman how to make her first pair of earrings. Very few tools were required, and the end product was light and easy to ship. We lived in India, where semi-precious stones and other natural materials abounded. Women were originally paid per piece but then transitioned to a salary base. They began to open bank accounts and to learn to manage their money. We started sending the jewelry to events and craft fairs in return of donations. The little micro-enterprise was turning into a full fledged business, bursting with potential.
In 2010 Ruhamah Designs was officially launched. A wise and lovely volunteer found the name "Ruhamah" in the Old Testament, Hosea 2:1. God asks Hosea to marry Gomer as a symbol of God's eternal commitment to wayward Israel. Their union reflected God's undying love for His chosen one, the nation of Israel. When Hosea and Gomer had a daughter, God calls her "Ruhamah," the one God loves. We knew the word beautifully described the women who lived and worked with us: the ones whom God loves.
Ruhamah is a stepping stone for women to return to their home in their village, with money in their pocket, with a new identity and as women to be respected and not pitied. The financial independence created by Ruhamah Designs has given each woman the chance to stand on her own.
Today our products are available through online shopping, partnering boutiques, and jewelry parties hosted by women all over America. Ruhamah Designs is growing rapidly, ensuring that more women have secure job opportunities after rescue. Our logo, a block print of a young, tender shoot, black at its base and turning green as it rushes upwards to the sun, is the perfect reflection of this promise, beauty and growth we see every day encapsulated in our artisans.
