DEDICATING their April meeting to helping Hope 4 Women International, the Carmarthen Creative Stitchers met on Wednesday (Apr 26) to make dresses for the charity.
Carmarthen Creative Stitchers meet regularly to learn new needlework skills, but they devoted their this week’s meeting to making dresses for the Hope 4 Women International charity, who have been bringing dignity to women around the world and empowering them since 2006.
Hope 4 Women International began by empowering women in Uganda, who are suffering from poverty, disease, and low self-worth, to become selfsufficient with businesses of their own.
The Christian organisation began their ‘Women in Business’ sponsorship program in 2010 under the Hope 4 Women International division of Hope 4 Kids International. Since then, over 100 women have completed the ‘Women in Business’ program and many more are enrolled in it.
It is their aim to raise the dignity of women through holding day spas in celebration of women, hosting training classes in business management, English and budgeting, and they promote morals and ethics in business.
Hope 4 Women hold seminars for women and bring in experts on health and hygiene, women pastors and inspirational speakers, women in business, and more.
The Carmarthen Creative Stitchers lent a helping hand to the charity on Wednesday when their sewing machines whirred to produce dresses for deprived girls around the world. The members who were unable to attend also helped the cause by donating materials for the women to use.
Over fifty dresses were made to a pattern supplied by the charity. Although the same pattern was used for each, the different materials, decorations and ingenuity of the Stitchers made every dress unique for girls with few – if any – possessions. The group also provided a soft toy and some underwear for the pocket of each dress.
Surplus materials were donated to other groups in the area who are supporting the same campaign.
Spokesperson Karen Wise said: “It was an enjoyable day with friends and an opportunity to do something for a charity other than fund raising. We hope that receiving a dress made with care makes the girls feel special and part of our global community.”
Carmarthen Creative Stitchers meet weekly on Wednesdays (termtime) between 1pm and 3pm and on the third Saturday of the month (term-time) in the Community Centre on Furnace Road in Carmarthen.
New members always receive a friendly welcome, with help and support provided for beginners, as ‘there are so many textile arts that everyone is a beginner at something’, they say.
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