SEWING SEEDS
Sewing Seeds Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women and children in Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala. They are passionate about empowering others to achieve economic independence through sewing skills training.
When I was ten, I began Sew Awesome, where I would sell hand-sewn items such as bookmarks and cards to raise money for Sewing Seeds. 50% of all my profits would go toward Sewing Seeds. After lots of hard work, I met my goal of raising $1000, equivalent to 4 new sewing machines, for one of their international sewing schools, and I was able to travel to their sewing school in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. While there, I volunteered at their sewing school in Volcanes, one of the poorest areas of Puerto Vallarta, and interacted with the students. I was able to see firsthand how the sewing machines I worked hard to donate would contribute to positively impacting families. After spending a week with them at the school, they came together, enveloped me in heartfelt hugs, and expressed their appreciation for my efforts. My four donated machines helped equip their newer school in Guatemala and, after six years, will have taught 160 sewing graduates.
Witnessing the real-life impact of my contributions to the sewing program and observing the gratitude of these women who now possess the means to support their families invigorated me to continue working hard to create more opportunities for those in need.
