The Lynn Bretsnyder Women's Centre (LBWC)
At the end of 2021, Terrawatu announced the sad news that our dear friend and Terrawatu USA Board Member, Lynn Bretsnyder, of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, passed away on 6 October 2021. Lynn left a portion of her estate to Terrawatu and we decided to honor her by building a Women's Centre in Mkonoo village, Tanzania.
Lynn was a champion for Mother Earth and a long-time believer in empowering women. The Mkonoo Women's Network had asked for assistance for many years to provide them with a clean and secure space for producing their handicrafts and for gathering together to plan how to feed their families and support their future. We knew that there were other networks of women in the area that would benefit from having a place to come to and create.
Ground was broken on 8-8-2022. The whole community was involved in the construction process. Adjacent to the Terrawatu Permaculture Demonstration Farm, the Women's Centre includes a large space for workshops, office space and rooms for volunteers. An official opening was held on 12 October 2024.
Programming at LBWC has begun and plans to make the centre self-sustainable by 2027 are in full-swing. Support is still needed to outfit the centre with locally-crafted furniture and materials for small business development.
Click here to make a secure online donation to help complete the Women's Centre.