Doug was able to spent some time in the SewAid sewing room at SC, and sort out a few things for us. We had been concerned about the huge shipment of fabric they received from SewAid early in the year, and was it still there? We knew that it hadn’t been used, but as Fay Kitto our SewAid teacher had received recent information they wanted more flannelette, we were concerned as to what had happened to the 1,000+ mtrs  they received earlier in the year. But fortunately Doug was able to find the 2022 shipment of fabric safely in storage and so we were very relieved to know it was still there. This shipment comprised of  enough fabric and accessories to make 3,600 DFG kits and last them several years.

Sadly though, Doug found that the sewing room had only one lady working there now, and that due to COVID most all the sewing team we taught and establish in 2017 has left and the sewing room has almost ground to a standstill.  Doug was also able to sent me photos of the all machines and equipment , from which I could easily determine that most all the machines were were in a very bad state of repair. In fact most the machines had burnt out motors and only one of the five industrial machines was actually working. Through several phone calls I was able to advise Doug to take the Janome Overlockers down to the local sewing machine shop in Pursat and have them cleaned and service.  While there , we connected on video and we were able to purchase a new Juki industrial sewing machine, which was delivered and installed that same afternoon.

So the workshop now has good working sewing machines and overlockers, but now we need to help SC rebuild the sewing room staff and re-boot the Days for Girls  sewing program. Fortunately Fay is spending a few days at SC in February , and Fay will be able to help them plan how to rebuild  their sewing workshop. We may well need to send another teaching team to train a new group of sewers.

COVID wasn’t kind to anyone and while it was disappointing  to see the SC sewing workshop is such a sad state, thanks to Doug’s great help we were able to make a good start on getting  it up and going again. But still more to do !

Tony Castley SewAid Founder.

Photos:

1. Old Brother machine, the only one working        2. Janome machine, no motor    3. industrial overlocker needing attention       4. Janome overlockers needing service    5.  Doug at the sewing machine shop    6. New Juki machine at SC

After a request from Sustainable Cambodia (SC) back in 2019 for  some Days for Girls supplies, we prepared a shipment of  flannelette  and other things , and this was picked up by our good friend Jenny Knight from REECH Cambodia and packed into her container. However, as it is necessary to obtain clearance for duty free charity goods before shipment, this container sat in Sydney for  18 months while Jenny negotiated with the Cambodian Customs.

In March 2021 Jenny thought she had clearance, and it was decided to upgrade the container to a 40′ container and so more space was available  and we added 10 rolls of PUL fabric, Kam snaps, rotary cutting equipment’s etc. which SC advised they needed. Jenny also got from us some more sewing machines and overlockers to add to those she had already bought.  However again the shipment didn’t get away until another 9 months later , finally getting  shipped in  November 2021.

The container arrived in Sihaboutville ( Cambodian Port ) 1st week December , however clearance  was delayed and when that was finally processed, the unpacking the container became a new problem due to COVID and other problems at the dock.  So last week Jenny decided to get on  plane to Cambodia, and go to the port and unpack the container herself. Guess what- she did just that!  She unpacked the container and then packed our fabrics off on a truck to Pursat and they have now been gratefully received by SC in the last few days ! WOW ! what a story, what a effort !

The shipment contained 68 rolls of flannelette and 11 rolls of PUL which is enough fabric to make 3,500 Days for Girls kits, which will keep our SewAid workshop at SC busy for quite some time. Also included were new rotary cutting mats, Rotary cutting blades, 3,500 sets of Kam snaps  and other bits and pieces SC had requested.   I must again thank Janelle Dodd of Ryde DFG who donated half the flannelette. and of course an enormous thankyou to Jenny Knight  for al her amazing work and perseverance  in finally getting this shipment to Cambodia.

Photo1: Fabrics arrive at Sustainable Cambodia.

Photo 2: Fabrics packed on truck at Cambodian port.

Click on photos to enlarge 

However we have stayed in touch with our projects and this month we were able to finally despatch some shipments to them.

Sustainable Cambodia:

Our original shipment which was loaded into the REECH container more than a year ago, never left Sydney due to the inability to obtain  duty free importation into Cambodia.  Jenny Knight of REECH has been working tirelessly on this problem for over a year and has finally found a new agent in Cambodia who can make it happen,

So we had an opportunity to add some extra roles of PUL fabric for Days for Girls kits and finally this container has been shipped. I can barely remember what the original shipment was, although I know it was enough fabric and other parts, to make over 3,600 Days for Girls Kits.- and I recall Ryde Rotary kindly contributed  $620.00  worth of flannelette  to that original shipment. This time Sewaid added another  $900 worth of PUL.

So SC should be very well stocked for DFG kit making when this shipment arrives. Thanks again to Jenny Knight for shipping this for us.

Kiribati 

Again our proposed shipment to our project in Kiribati was delayed dues to DIK ( Donations in Kind ) Melbourne being closed through the COVID period.

However through Wendy Flahive we learned of a United Church container that was going and we were able to ship a pallet of sewing machines  down to catch this container.  Of the 29 new sewing machines shipped, 10 were purchased by Kindling Association – a Kiribati micro loans organisation and another 11 were donated by two CWA divisions.

The remaining  8 new sewing machines were donated by SewAid, these being just the start of our project to develop a new sewing training centre at the AMAK women’s Centre in Kiriabti. We hope to ship off another pallet of machines along with everything for the new sewing room  with DIK Melbourne soon.

We are very grateful to Ruth Cross of the Rotary club of Tarawa (Kiribati) who will organise the receipt and distribution of these machines.

So while we still can’t visit any of our projects, it is rewarding to be able to get some shipments away to them.

Tony Castley

Pallet for 29 new sewing machines being shipped to Kiribati

Congo DRC
We have for some time been discussing the possibility of a Sewaid teacher team visiting the Congo to help Lucy set up a sewing workshop. This is starting to progress a little more now that Ebola has been contained in the area, however there is still quite of number of hurdles to jump before this trip can advertised.

Ba Fiji
Alacoque Welsh, one of our Sewaid managers, and Gay Grillmeier from the Gosford North DFG group. will be going back to BA, Fiji again in September to give some further training to one of our sewing groups there.

REECH Cambodia
Deidra from DFG Gosford North also advised that their Mooney Mooney satellite group, also donated 100 sewing kits and 25 Hygiene kits to Jenny Knight of REECH Cambodia. Sewgroup had previously helped Jenny with sewing machines and equipment for her Cambodia project.

Photos: Lucy Hopwood Brown from “Hands Up Congo ” centre, Days for Girls group leaders, Dee and Deidra, left and right, with the colourful bags containing 350 DFG hygiene kits and 100 sewing kits.
Jenny Knight (red) and the Mooney Mooney DFG salellite group.
Header photo : One of the DFG Gosford North ladies busy overlocking the liners on one of their Triumph high speed over-lockers .

Other new projects we are investigating.
East Timor:
Judith Charnaud who is a member of my Rotary club, has lived in East Timor for the past 14 years, in a very remote area called Oecusse . This is a small part of East Timor which is not actually attached to East Timor but rather it is situated in Indonesian West Timor ! . It is an very poor area, but also a very pretty area in parts. For some time now we have been talking to Judy and John Corney from the Epping Rotary Club, about a SewAID project in Oecusse, and planning is progressing for this to be in April/May 2019. This project will be teaching a variety of sewing skills, including school uniforms, dressmaking, school curriculums, and perhaps some Days for Girls. Suitable basic accommodation and working rooms are available and everything will be arranged for this project. This will be a very interesting trip, and I have great memories of our visit there a few years ago. We will need 4 to 6 volunteer teachers , and so we invite volunteers from our data base to register their interest now.

Solomons
The small group of women that we taught in March are very anxious for us to go back with a larger team of teachers in March next year. This trip is to be at the time of the International Women’s Day as they are planning to have a big celebration there at that time. Vera taught Days for Girls sewing last time, but this time they want to learn dressmaking and other items which they would like to sell. Similar to what we have taught in Cambodia. The project is on Noro , and there is good accommodation and support provided by Soltuna , the large tuna factory there, which is supporting our project. So again we are interested to hear from our volunteers who would like to go on this trip
Photo is from Vera’s classroom in Noro in March.

Other Countries
We have also been asked to teach in Kirabati and Tavalu , which are both small Pacific island countries. Tavalu is north of Fiji, and Kirabati is North from Vanuatu – and near to the Somomons.
We are just gathering details on these projects and more information will be available soon

Then we have also been invited to do teaching project in The Congo in Africa. This is a more challenging project due to the high costs of getting there. We are working with Lucy Hobgood-Brown who is also in my Rotary Club and Lucy has several active projects in the Congo which she visits every year; and for more details of Lucy’s projects please visit her website www.handupcongo.org

So lots of interesting projects in the melting pot. Do keep checking our website from time to time for updated information.
regards Tony
tonyc@sewgroup.com
Ph. 0414 801 888

This map shows where East Timor lies just Northwest of Australia and the insert shows East Timor in purple and you can see the little enclave of Oecusse situated in what is Indonesian West Timor and separated from the main East Timor.