Got Fabric?

I love grassroots service.

This summer I read Greg Mortensen's books Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools. His long story short: he attempted to climb K2 in Afghanistan, failed, got lost, got befriended, saw kids with no school or teacher gathered together writing their multiplication tables in the dirt, promised to build a school and the rest is history. Check out the projects the Central Asia Institute funds here.

Another group I heard about this summer is Action Kivu. They help support women and children who have been victims of violence in Eastern Congo. Some of the stories are horrific.

From their website: "Action Kivu provides some of the Eastern Congo's victims of violence with the opportunity to rebuild their lives on a foundation of hope, dignity, and economic self-sustenance. Our approach is spearheaded through two programs:

The Kivu Sewing Workshop
In an eight-month program, students, all victims of the Congo's years of devastating conflict, learn to sew, knit and embroider and eventually acquire the skills and capacity to work on their own as seamstresses who can provide for themselves and their families.

Education Assistance for Children
Action Kivu works in partnership with primary schools in Congo to fund the education of vulnerable children affected by the ongoing conflict."

What a great program. Money that we normally donate to LDS Humanitarian Aid went to them one month this summer.

Another program that I heard about today is Iraqi Bundles of Love. Not as large as these other programs - totally grassroots. Basically, you send a bundle of fabric and sewing supplies that will be distributed to local women. You can read more about it here.

From the website: "IBOL (Iraqi Bundles of Love) II, like the original IBOL project last year, is intended to be a short-duration project. And like last time, it’s intended to surge fabric and sewing (and knitting!) materials into Salah ad Din, in northern Iraq (where I was last year, too). The general premise is the same. Willing contributors can send a flat-rate box of sewing / quilting / knitting supplies, all bundled up. Once it’s there, someone will open the box, pull out the fully-contained bundle, and hand it off (with others) for distribution in the SaD area. The stated intent of this operation is to put sewing and quilting and knitting supplies into the hands of two types of recipients: locals who desperately need such things, and local sewing co-ops and other small businesses who have received grants or loans (typically to purchase sewing machines, rent space, etc)."

On a personal note, I HATE what we have done to Iraq. Don't get me started. I am grateful for the opportunity to show the women of Iraq that I love them and am sorry for the damage done to their country.

If you have extra fabric, sewing supplies or yarn and would like to contribute a bundle go to this website and leave a comment asking for the address to send it to. Bundles must be in the mail no later than October 1st.