Our Story

In 2015, Executive Director Amy Williams traveled to Kinshasa, DR Congo, to meet her daughter for the first time. On this trip, Amy was impacted by the lack of opportunity and resources available to women. After making connections on this trip, she returned to the States with an idea. After sharing her vision and passion with her sister-in-law Suzanne, the two partnered.  It all began with friends and family giving money towards sewing machines for a local sewing school.  Little did Amy and Suzanne know that one ask would become what is now known as The One Thread Project.

For a few years, The One Thread Project operated and grew through its partnership with Reeds of Hope. Their team gave this program the opportunity to learn and grow while under its umbrella. In 2022, Amy and Suzanne established The One Thread Project as an independent NGO in the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Amy and Suzanne believe that children belong in families. While this seems like a simple statement, in many countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is very complex. Without access to education and opportunity, people lack the resources they need to live.

In a region that suffers from crippling unemployment rates, many young people are unskilled and uneducated. The One Thread Project seeks to change this through job and business training. Women come to the Espoir Training Center looking for opportunity. They want to provide for their families; they want to make a better life for themselves; they are eager to learn. By partnering with The One Thread Project, these women find a space not only to survive, but to thrive!

Amy and Suzanne are united in faith and mission to seek avenues of hope for families to stay intact and women to be empowered right where they are. They believe that God is writing a bigger story and each of us is asked to add our thread to the narrative. Six kids and two adoptions later, they all live in Lincoln, Nebraska, and are forever bonded to this world and mission in ways they never imagined. Amy and Suzanne are excited to invite you to add your thread and join this bigger story.