A Giant Leap Northward
In December, our North Carolina warehouse closed and the Amani leadership decided to move its operations up to DC and incorporate it into the vision for an Amani ministry center. The US warehouse has supported volunteer sales throughout the States during significant growth since Amani’s export system launched in March 2006. The warehouse receives returned product and processes payments for volunteer sales, as well as fulfilling website orders. The warehouse makes it possible for volunteers to sell products that both support and tell the stories of the women of Amani in Africa.
Of course, an essential part of moving new operations to DC has been finding a space for Amani to live. We thought this would be our biggest obstacle in light of DC’s pricey real estate market. But after casually looking for years, it was in just the right timing that I noticed an advertisement for space in a church on Mt. Pleasant Street a few blocks from my home. The space includes a well-lit front room with street-level display windows and two back rooms for our office and warehouse. Mt. Pleasant is a diverse, lively, community-oriented neighborhood in northwest DC. As we investigated the space, it occurred to me that there might be no better place for Amani's DC home than “Mt. P” with its international flavor, strong neighborhood identity, and accessibility to visitors.
Settling In
On December 15th, a team of superstar volunteers went down to North Carolina to move the product and warehouse items. Then on December 18th, we hosted an informal open house to introduce local Amani friends and neighbors to our new space. Since then we continue to make new friends and have had lots of interest from passersby. The other day, a friend of mine overheard a co-worker ask if anyone had heard about "the new cool shop in Mt. Pleasant that sells handcrafts from women in Africa." It’s exciting to hear that Amani is already creating a buzz!
Assembling a Team

The tasks that come along with warehouse operations are substantial. Our previous Warehouse Administrator, Kerry Shea, worked tirelessly to maintain it and support Amani’s growing warehouse needs. Bringing the warehouse up to DC necessarily meant a new hire for our DC office. Personally, I'm quite thrilled with the person we found to oversee warehouse and financial operations! She is a friend and former co-worker of mine from Central Union Mission, Julia Simerly. Julia and I have worked closely together, and I'm excited to use our gifts again toward a common purpose. (She is pictured here with the rest of the DC staff: Rachel, myself, and my mom, Debbie.)
Volunteers have already been an incredible help and encouragement at AmaniDC, whether they help organize product, check in volunteer boxes, tweak shop displays, or put together mailings. We are counting on weekly and one-time volunteers to help make AmaniDC a place where people come together to work and share their lives together. We look forward to knowing and sharing Amani with our growing volunteer community.
Much remains to be organized, planned for, and thought through, but every day we are making progress and slowly seeing AmaniDC come together. This season of establishing systems, getting organized, and building a support network is important so that Amani can thrive in its new home. I believe Amani has a unique ability to share peace with the people in this city and look forward with eager anticipation to watching the specifics of it emerge.

Thank you again for your faithful support of my work with Amani ya Juu. This is a work of ever-expanding possibilities and new direction. I’m grateful for the opportunity walk this road and would love to share more if you have questions or ideas. I am always available at brittany (at) amaniafrica dot org.
Endelea na imani.
Continue in faith.
Continue in faith.