Thursday, May 5, 2011

Ladies of St. Stephens make pillowcase dresses for Malawi


From Texas-

The Ladies of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church heard an inspiring presentation during their Spring Salad Luncheon Sat., April 30 on how their handiwork helps children in Malawi.

Rev. Debbie Daigle. of Conroe and Madinsonville, told of her mission trip to Malawi, where the children typically have no shoes and are eager for the new clothing in their villages. The dresses made by the ladies are cut from pillowcases. Arm holes are tailored and trimmed, which make the garment no longer look like a pillowcase at all. Each one is unique. Daigle said their next project is short pants for the boys.

Daigle explained the sewing projects are taking place throughout the nation via the Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) Program.

AIDS kills many women in Malawi. When a woman dies, her children will end up on the streets, unless someone helps them. Many are taken in by older women. The pillowcase dresses fill a need for these orphans.

Another relief project supported by the Episcopal Diocese is "Nets for Life", which provides new mosquito nets to families.

According to Daigle, 3,000 children die every day in sub-Saharan Africa. The three factors that make "Nets for Life" effective are: education, insecticide-treated nets, and follow-up with the recipient families to make sure they continue to properly use the nets.

More here-

http://www.thevindicator.com/news/article_a8205bde-76a4-11e0-96a9-001cc4c002e0.html

1 comment:

Unknown said...

These dresses make a big impact on the lives of poor girls in Africa. In Malawi, these dresses are also distributed by Urunji Child-Care Trust a local charity which is working with Little Dresses for Africa to root out girls from poverty.