He was born in the small village of Durame in southeastern Ethiopia and was adopted when he was six months old. He now lives in La Crosse, in the US midwestern state of Wisconsin, where he first discovered his love for crochet and started sharing his gift with the world.
When Jonah was five-years old, his aunt introduced him to crochet by giving him and his siblings extra craft supplies. They included a ball of yarn and a crochet hook. Then, his family members encouraged Jonah to watch YouTube tutorials about crocheting, which led him to make his first dishcloth — in less than an hour.
Jonah was comfortable making dishcloths, but his mother reminded him of the importance of consistently learning and developing new skills.
At first, Johan was intimidated about working on new projects. He saw it as a challenge. With practice, however, he began to progress, and eventually he started his own company, Jonah’s Hands.
“From that point on, I just fell in love with crochet and how calming it was and all the beautiful things you could make,” says Jonah.
Jonah’s Hands
Jonah founded Jonah’s Hands LLC three years ago when he was just 11 years old. From the day his parents adopted him at the age of six, they instilled both in him and in his siblings the values of giving back to others and doing good in the world. This advice informed the identity of Jonah’s Hands. Today, the company generously supports Jonah’s village and many of the people who live there.
On his website, Jonah features YouTube tutorials, books, and DVDs that teach crochet. He also sells items, such as dishcloths, blankets, booties, scarves, and hats on the website’s GoFundMe page, to raise money for philanthropy.
So far, Jonah has raised about $25,000. With this money, he was able to open the first-ever library and a science lab in Durame. With many more projects on the way, people are recognizing Jonah’s contributions.
