Community & Business
21 May, 2022
Ladies join forces to sew for refugees
A GROUP of ladies from across the Tablelands region have come together to put their sewing skills to the test, sending off their handmade clothes to refugees in the war torn country of Jordan.
After a volunteer trip to Jordan, Lara Gillespie of Tarzali soon learnt the harsh realities of the condition Syrian refugees were in and began searching for ways to help.
After donating many items of clothing to the children and mothers struggling to keep warm, Ms Gillespie found herself collecting scrap fabrics and had the idea to start creating clothing. Although she doesn’t sew the clothing herself, she has found a team of strong sewers that have taken the scrap fabrics and turned them into warm garments for the kids.
“When I did the volunteer trip with the refugees, I saw the terrible conditions they were struggling with, the amazing work and support of the organisation working with them and their incredible gratitude when given some new clothes or warm items for them and their children,” she said. “So many were women and children who had literally run across borders under gunfire when the war started across the border. “They came with little to nothing and have had to survive in cold harsh conditions with limited ability to work without being exploited and I have since sent some more clothes over with other volunteers but then I came into an estate collection of fabric - I thought wouldn’t it be great if this could be made into clothes for refugees. “I put a call out on Atherton community Facebook page and a small group of wonderful ladies generously volunteered their time to do some wonderful sewing for women and children’s refugees.”
After the call was made online, Kellie Dyer, Pamela Duel, Donna Cotter, Nikki Smith and Eunice Metcalfe came to the rescue, sewing, knitting and crocheting warm clothing for the refugees. Running out of the Alliance Church in Jordan, the team of ladies hope to see the fabrics sewn together and on the backs of those suffering to keep them warm in their hardest times.
“It is wonderful to see resources not going to waste, knowing they will go to people who really need and appreciate it,” Ms Gillespie said. “It has also been wonderful to see the generosity and kindness of these wonderful ladies.”
Although they are also out of the scrap fabrics, Ms Gillespie has put a call out for anyone who can sew with their own materials to join in, especially those who can sew stretch knits.
