Families in villages throughout Africa have been suffering because of the lack of opportunity to gain employment and honest income. ELI has trained over 100 people how to make hand made paper as well as banana bark greeting cards. ELI has helped to support families in East Africa as they have hand made envelopes and other paper products through our Paper Project. Many of the papermakers have been widows, single mothers, or recovering alcoholics who have been faithful to participate in the ELI Anti-Alcohol Program.

The hand-made envelopes are crafted using papers they find in or near their villages. Newspaper, paper scraps, cardboard boxes and sacks are torn into strips by hand and soaked in water overnight. The soft paper is pounded into pulp, sifted onto a small screen, and transferred to a tight cloth frame where it dries in the sun. It is then cut and folded into an envelope or another unique hand-made paper product.

The envelopes that are made in Kenya are partnered with banana bark cards that are crafted in the Congo. Bark from banana trees is meticulously cut and glued in place to create a card that is both beautiful and unique. Each envelope has a number written inside of it that corresponds with the artisan that has made the product.

To find out more about the artisan who personally made your product, simply click here.

The following hand-made paper products are packaged for sale. All of the proceeds from the sale of these products go back into this project and other programs that help empower the poor. The prices and quantities for each product are marked below. We do have wholesale opportunities available. Also, please look at Help Change the World for One Family under Ministry Opportunities to see how your church can get involved in empowering these families.

To order your unique paper products simply follow these steps:

1. Choose and list the quantity of items you would like to order (Minimum internet order is $50.00). Example: “I would like to order 3 sets of A at $10.00, 4 sets of E at $10.00, 2 sets of K at $5.00 for a total of $80.00”
2. Add $5.00 for shipping and send your order with a check made out to Empowering Lives Intl. to PO Box 67, Upland, CA 91785 (Be sure to include your name, e-mail, and shipping address.)