We all know that person who has a great idea for a novel that never quite gets written, or dreams of making it big in music but sticks to karaoke instead. “Don’t quit your day job,” goes the age old adage. But quitting her day job was exactly what Delphie did.
Delphie used to be a journalist for a local radio station in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But, she had dreams of being a landscape architect – and starting her very own business. She tested out her skills with us, volunteering her time, energy, and talents toward designing the landscapes outside our Asili clinics.
And, everyone who comes to the clinics remarks at how just very beautiful the landscapes are. People even take wedding and family photos there.
A couple months ago, Delphie quit her job, deciding to pursue her idea for a business full time. So for Day 354, we decided to thank her for everything she’s done to make Asili clinics the incredible places they are – by giving her some seed funding to help her business thrive.
“Creating a business for flowers and creativity is what I want to do,” said Delphie. “I’ve wanted to do it since I was little. My mother had a beautiful garden, so I grew up around flowers, I grew up loving nature.”
Delphie is a creative at heart – in her makeshift studio is in her mother’s backyard, she showed us the vases she’s made, the seedlings she’s nursing, and some of the interior decorating she’s done there. She makes most of her art through recycled material – everyday things that you can find in the city.
“I’m always creating,” she said. “I want everyone to have good design. Right now in Congo, intentional design is not really a part of our culture. But I believe that everyone can do it, no matter how much money you have. All my art is made from things I find here. I want to help people see the potential.”
Delphie was so surprised and excited by our thank you gift. “This is amazing!” she said.
What will Delphie do with her seed funding? First things first, she wants to get a shop space of her own. “With my shop, I want to also sell other people’s artwork, and encourage their creativity.”
Delphie believes that beautiful design – inside and out – is much more meaningful than it may seem. “Improving how things look also improves how things work, it inspires everyone to be better. I think that’s been true with Asili. And I think that’s true everywhere in Congo, too.”
