By Jueseppi B.
Beauty from Brokenness: The Nozomi Project
Nozomi, translated ‘hope’ in Japanese, is a social enterprise bringing sustainable income, community, dignity and hope to the women in Ishinomaki, Japan by training women to craft unique jewelry products. One third of these women are single mothers and grandmothers; most of these women and their family members lost their livelihood when the tsunami crashed through half of their city in 2011.
Nozomi women are creating one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry featuring broken pieces of pottery left in the wake of the tsunami (called the Shards of Hope product line), as well as other beautiful products such as kimono accessories and note cards Each of our product lines has been named by a Nozomi woman in honor of a loved one in her life.
As broken shards are being transformed into beautiful treasures, so too lives are being filled with renewed dignity and hope.
With a God-directed vision and calling, the Nozomi Project is lead and overseen by a team of missionaries who are part of Be One Tohoku Aid, serving in Ishinomaki since immediately following the tsunami. Part of this missionary team works under the leadership of Team Expansion, a non-profit Stateside mission-sending organization, through which we are able to accept donations in support of the Nozomi Project.
Click here for profiles and photos highlighting this amazing group of women that God has gathered together for community and making jewelry. We will continue to add more!
Learn more about the Nozomi Project and the people involved by watching our video.
Nozomi Project – Beauty from Brokenness
Published on Mar 11, 2013
Two years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, a small group of ladies are finding hope in the remnants of the disaster.http://nozomiproject.com
Nozomi Project Fall 2012
Published on Dec 7, 2012
Nozomi Project, a social enterprise community in Ishinomaki Japan, composed of women who are taking broken shards of pottery from the 2011 tsunami and making them into beautiful pieces of jewelry.
Be One – Tohoku Aid
Brief History:
Be One is a house church network that began in the greater Osaka area about eight years ago. After the tsunami hit last year on March 11th, several members of Be One quickly drove up to Tohoku with supplies. Several days later another van followed. Chad Huddleston, one of the three main leaders of Be One Osaka, and numerous other missionaries and staff associated with Be One, ended up spending most of last year bringing aid and assistance to the people in Ishinomaki. Over the next few months following the tsunami, churches across the greater Kansai (Osaka) region began working through Be One to help with these relief efforts. Over twelve different churches were a part of providing this needed relief, and in the first year over one thousand volunteers came up to Ishinomaki with Be One.
Visit our web site here! Be One – Tohoku Aid
Current Status & Vision:
Through God’s clear calling and guidance, there are now three families and one single woman living in Ishinomaki. It has been a joy for all of us to participate in the exciting work that we see God doing here. It also continues to break our hearts to see the devastation caused by the tsunami and the many individuals and families in our communities who have lost loved ones, homes, and jobs. Our vision is to see disciples and communities of believers spread throughout Tohoku, and to see leaders emerge from the new harvest who will begin reproducing disciples. We also are committed to helping meet the practical needs of those in our community. Our four units have chosen a very incarnational life style in our approach to church planting; our children are all enrolled in the local schools and we are seeking to be part of the communities where we are living. We continue to host and coordinate many volunteers who come to help out, and by our daily presence in the communities we are involved in the lives of many individuals.
Meet the Nozomi Staff
We will continue over the coming weeks to share the stories, challenges, and hopes of our Nozomi staff, as well as their connection to the different names of the lines of jewelry. Please use these stories to pray for our staff who have gone through so much.
Click on “Meet The Nozomi Staff” above to get acquainted with staff members:
Nobuko Kimura (Necklace Artisan)
Chieko N. (Jewelry Artisan)
Kazuko E. (Necklace Artisan)
Yumi E. (Shards Artisan; Photographer)
Hiromi T. (Jewelry Artisan)
Yuko M. (Computer & Sales)
Yuko S. (Jewelry Artisan & Manager)
Join this effort on Facebook….. Be One Tohoku Aid
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Jueseppi B.
