Born and raised in the Congo, going to fashion design school in the U.K and settling in the U.S., Allen was struck by how most Congolese women have less opportunity than American women because of inadequate access to education and trade skills:"It is a different reality for women in Africa than in the U.S." explains Allen. "A lot of women marry young and are fully dependent on their husbands. If a husband is injured, dies or no longer wants to be with his wife, women are left to fend to themselves with very little education. The good thing about a technical education is that it can be learned fairly quickly and at a young age."
By Heather Schechter, Public Relations Director for TOA Photo by: www.erinfreelandphoto.com | 
