Athens Drive alumni and University of South Carolina graduate, Amy Bardi, is the founder of Clothed in Hope, a nonprofit organization aimed to end poverty and empower women in Zambia through education. A year after visiting Africa in 2010, Bardi decided to start Clothed in Hope with the purpose of using her business and fashion skills to connect with others in need.
Bardi graduated from Athens Drive in 2008 and attended college at the University of South Carolina, majoring in fashion merchandising. During one of her summers as a college student, Bardi took a trip to Zambia that would eventually be the inspiration for Clothed in Hope.
“I witnessed poverty and despair in a way I had never before witnessed. My heart was burdened by what I saw and I felt responsible,” said Bardi on her website.
Bardi took what she saw during her trip and saw it as an opportunity to use her skills in fashion and business to help others, specifically the women of the Ng’ombe community in Zambia. In 2011, Bardi started Clothed in Hope with the intent to empower these women by educating them on life skills focused around sewing and entrepreneurship.
“I saw that my giftings and my passions weren’t just for my own benefit; I was given them to share with others. I walked through life experiences with purpose- to be able to connect to women, no matter the culture or language. I founded Clothed in Hope on an average day in 2011, in my college apartment, with a heart rooted in orphan prevention by empowering mothers through life-skills training.” said Bardi.
The program presented through Clothed in Hope offers year long life training programs in Zambia that educate women in life skills, health, disease-prevention and nutrition. Two of the skills taught include sewing and marketing, which are showcased through the clothes and accessories that are designed and produced by Zambian women. The accessories include headbands, jewelry, bags and even stuffed animals for children, all of which can be purchased through the Clothed in Hope website.
As stated on the Clothed in Hope website, while enrolled in the program, mothers and their children are provided with a healthy home environment that includes three meals a day, “breaking the cycle of poverty, one stitch at a time.” Through Clothed in Hope’s mission “to empower women in Zambia through education and economic opportunity,” women will graduate from the program with a newfound knowledge in sewing and business management. Furthermore, some of the 2014 graduates are even a part of the current Clothed in Hope in-country staff.
Having attended high school at Athens, Bardi was set up with the skills needed to further her knowledge of fashion merchandising in college, which led her into being able to start Clothed in Hope. Students can be inspired by Bardi’s success with Clothed in Hope and its impact in Africa, especially after seeing that Bardi had been a student at Athens Drive.
“I think it’s incredible that a college student reached out to women in poverty to help change their life and encourage them that there is hope by showing them what they are capable of,” said Jensen Burkeen, senior.
Athens Drive offers many career oriented electives, including Apparel Design and many other business classes. These CTE (Career and Technical Education) electives teach the skills similar to those that are taught in Zambia through Clothed in Hope, as well as the skills needed to just to start an organization like Bardi’s.
“Having taken Apparel I and II, it’s great to see how what I learned in those classes could be used to start something like Clothed in Hope. It’s also really motivating to see that the founder graduated from Athens and probably took the same classes that some of us are taking now,” said Burkeen.
