Volunteers from the women’s auxiliary at St. George’s Roman Catholic Church in Assiniboia spent the day on October 18 sewing for charity. The group brought their sewing machines that turned pillowcases and donated sewing supplies into dresses for young girls. The completed dresses were attractively adorned with pockets and colourful ribbons. The dresses will be going to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where they will be distributed to impoverished girls. The clothing is simple and made of cotton that can be easily washed and adjusted for growing children.
Cuernavaca is an ancient city of the Aztecs dating back 3,200 years. Its tropical surroundings have always attracted the country’s elite. In the last 50 years the population has boomed from less than 100,000 to almost a million. But alongside the tourism and economic development reside those living in incredible poverty. Families live in shacks with dirt floors and no water. Many have migrated from impoverished rural areas to the economically-vibrant Cuernavaca for jobs after drought and large transnational corporations have pushed them off their farmland. For children, school programs are understaffed and undersupplied.
The women’s auxiliary initiative will help bring some hope and new dresses to girls for the first time in their lives. The group plans to make another set of dresses aimed at younger children of pre-school age as well as simple clothing for boys.
