Sandra, 30, lives in Ghana with her two young children, her parents, and her five siblings. Life hasn’t been easy for Sandra or her family. They survived on her father’s retirement funds, her brother’s low-income jobs, and whatever vegetables her mother could sell in season. As a single mother raising children and caring for elderly parents, there was never enough food to go around.

This discouraging reality began to change when Sandra joined the Nazarene empowerment project for women in Ghana. There, she learned from other women to make soap and start a business, skills that are having an immediate impact at home.

“Before, life was difficult ... we only had one meal a day, and that was porridge,” Sandra explained. “Now, with the project, life is better. I take care of my two children and we have two meals a day: porridge, rice, and fish.”

Sandra is now looking forward. She wants to train others in her same situation, giving them the keys to unlocking a more stable, hopeful future, while growing her business to consist of multiple shops—providing avenues for work for her entire family.