This wonderful hand-stitched tapestry by Joy Kakiiza, Threads of Blessing artist, measures 12 x 9.5 inches. A lone rhinoceros stands in the savannah, while birds feast on its back. The landscape includes Acacia trees and a lovely blue sky. Rhinoceros went extinct in Uganda in the 1980s, but in 2006, six rhinos were reintroduced to Ziwa ranch, a former cattle farm in the center of the country. These have now multiplied to 48 as of March 2025.
Joy lives in southern Uganda, in the diocese of Rwenzori, close to the Rwandan border – a stunning area known as the “Switzerland” of Uganda. Her life revolves around caring for her family and her crops.
She will use the funds she receives from her needlework to provide education for her children, medical support for herself and her family, seeds or fertilizer for her crops, maintenance and repairs to her home, and provide for any orphans due to poverty, HIV-AIDS, or other illnesses.
Joy meets weekly with her fellow needleworkers. The community they have built through Threads of Blessing encourages each of them and has significantly boosted their self-confidence.
