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Written by Val
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 06:44 |
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 This box of threads is a small gift going to Thembalethu, a small a in South Africa. Thanks, Maureen O'Connel for donating the postage to ship this box!
I've learned about Thembalethu through a remarkable young Nova Scotian, Catherine Robar. She is one of my heroes.
Catherine started working in this community about 2 years ago and started the Themba Project With consultations with the elders and community they figured out the priority needs: hunger and shelter. Catherine has devoted her life to raising funds in Nova Scotia to literally transform this community in 2 important ways: with gardens, school uniforms, fruit trees, parks, youth leadership group, feeding the hungry and housing the destitute. The other vital transformation is the re-kindling the spirit of empowerment in the community. Catherine has helped this community take control of their lives.
In January 2010 Catherine's project supplied 66 children with a complete school uniform. The families of these children are very poor and would have to forgo food for many days just to pay for these mandatory school outfits. See this story here
If you are inspired by Catherine there is a way to help directly. VOTE FOR CATHERINE! Catherine is one of the top contenders for the CBC's Champions of Change Award which is a Canada wide search for the top volunteers. At the end of September the judges will select the top ten, all of which are guaranteed a $10,000 donation towards their charity. The top two however will be chosen by the public, that means you! The top two winners of this award will receive a $25,000 donation towards their charity. Just imagine what Catherine will do with this in Thembalethu!
If you want to nominate Catherine, do it very soon.
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and I'll send you background information about Catherine for some of the answers. Enjoy these other lovely stories about Catherine.
http://www.georgeherald.com/news.aspx?id= is sweeter than honey
http://www.georgeherald.com/news.aspx?id= her Seeds
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 October 2010 13:14 |
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Tuesday, 03 August 2010 19:39 |
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I spent a truly delightful July afternoon with a warm, wonderful group of women. I'd been invited by Ruth Rudderham to talk about African Threads to the United Church Women who were on retreat at the Berwick United Church Camp in Berwick, Nova Scotia.
It's a beautiful camp. Quaint little cottages sprinkled in a most amazing ancient hemlock forest. I presented my talk and display of goods in the large open-sided auditorium with the sounds of children and birds and the breeze. Here's a picture of me holding up a traditional Ndebele beaded apron. I bought this apron in South Africa about 20 years ago.
Thank you sweet friends for inviting me, and for the wonderful tea and cookies after the talk. What a treat to meet you all and I hope we meet again soon.
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Quilters and Grandmothers |
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Tuesday, 27 July 2010 08:43 |
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When quilters and Grandmother Groups come together, you know great things are going to happen! This stunning show of quilts captures the essence of women supporting Grandmothers in Africa, one ripple at a time, one stitch at a time.
 In 2008 The North Island Qulters for Community Awareness (NIQCA) a textile group in Comox Valley, British Columbia created a collection of quilts called Seeds of Hope for exhibitions and auctions sponsored by the Merville Grand Mothers. The show raised more than $100,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Inspired by this succes NIQCA created a second quilt show called Turning the Tide...one ripple at a time. They worked with invited artists and donated the collection to the Glacier Grannies Grandmother Group in Comox Valley.
A beautifully produced book of the quilts is available for purchase. It shows the collection of quilts in detail and each quilt illustrates the issues that face women and children in Africa. The beautiful quilts are full of hope. Contact Gerry at
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to order your copy. All proceeds will be donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation which funds over 300 groups of Grandmothers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
 Maureen Brechin - Port Albernie Gogo, Merrilee Cameron, Glacier Grannie, Turning the Tide Project CoordinatorAnna Cole - P A Gogo Maria Box,NIQCA ,Glacier Grannie, Gillian Farrow - Glacier Grannie, Cynthia Bonesky - Artist
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Zulu bead necklaces made by a group of expert Zulu beadmakers are in stock. I have just a few shown in the shop and many more colors available. Contact me if you'd like to see more. I adore their unusual colour combinations and their strong contemporary style. They go quickly and there may be only a few in each colour, often one of a kind. You can learn more about this group under the Who are the Makers link.