What We’re Building Together

Written By Shelly Noftle

A beginning worth sharing

Welcome to the very first edition of the Tiyende Circle monthly newsletter!

This one feels pretty special. Tiyende Circle is still in its early days, and I'm excited to bring you along as we turn the vision into something real.

Why Tiyende Circle?


Tiyende is a word in Nyanja (Chinyanja), one of the widely spoken languages of Zambia. It means “let’s walk” or “let’s move” and carries the idea of walking together.

We chose the name because it captures something we deeply believe: we move forward together.

Tiyende Circle is about creating a place where people can find stability, belonging, growth, and independence—and where no one has to move forward alone.

Here is what we’ve been up to recently:

Tiyende Circle is officially a 501(c)(3)

One of our biggest milestones this year is now official. The IRS has recognized Tiyende Circle as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, making donations tax-deductible for U.S. donors.

This gives us the foundation to build Tiyende Circle responsibly and grow the work for the long term.

Business Builders is taking shape.

We've been developing the curriculum, participant workbooks, facilitator resources, and systems for our first group of entrepreneurs in Zambia. It's exciting to see something that started as an idea becoming a real program.

LOOKING AHEAD

I’m in Zambia right now—and this trip marks an exciting next step for Tiyende Circle.

We're holding our first Business Builders workshop with our pilot participants and putting the curriculum into practice for the very first time.

We're also beginning the search for land for the Love Works Initiative and continuing our work to find a home for Pamodzi House.

I’m excited to bring you along as these programs move from plans and pages into real lives!

Thank you for being part of the foundation of what we are building here.

With lots of gratitude,

 
 
 
 

Shelly Noftle
Founder
Tiyende Circle

Shelly Noftle