Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts
We look to the positive for each other
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Women 4 Women meets monthly at JRS UK as a peer support for women who have been made destitute by the UK asylum process. Facilitator and participants share why it matters.
All the ladies who come have no way to get money so we have to help them for transport and also for food, so they can eat first. Sometimes they are hungry when they come, so a fruit or biscuits helps them.
“For me, it has improved my life, otherwise, there is nothing for me to do in the day, you take it away, you take away my life. The others, they need it too. The staff are very friendly, we look to the positive for each other. I appreciate it very well.”
For the women's peer support group, it is a very clear piece of time for them, doing exercises, learning how to do massage or some mediation, it is time out for them. It is about their wellbeing, to feel, they can focus on themselves, such when we do creative things. They do drawing or colouring, expressing themselves in some way, they have gone back to a time in their lives that they can't have now, when they can just be.
We started off with 4 and those who have moved on have their papers, but it allows others new to come in as others move on. There is now a stability (in the midst of very chaotic lives). This year we started with a couple of Eritrean women who have now brought their friends. There is a sense of belonging and connectedness, it is not just a piece of fruit or the bus fare that they benefit from.
It depends on the person, but it can give a certain confidence. Some come uncertain and withdrawn, but now are more expressive and relaxed around people. It helps them more to be themselves also. Their confidence has been shattered with what they have been through.
“As asylum seekers we have lost our competence. I would like to improve, to do some training, share skills in cooking, baking, sewing, drawing... all creative things where we can have the satisfaction that we have made something from start to finish. To have some skills where in future I will be able to learn to stand again on my own two feet.”
A couple of participants now help lead. One has come out of herself and has more confidence and tremendously helpful. They help with preparation and good to see women who have had the same experiences can now lead.
Make a donation to help pay the bus passes of the women who attend: www.justgiving.com/jesuitrefugeeservice
Advent Together
Kate and Rosemary both took part in Pax Christi’s annual Advent Service at St Aloysius church near Euston in London this week. Kate shares what she enjoyed about the occasion.
Jesuit Refugee Service UK was invited to offer a testimony and focus for prayer for a gathering of people who work for justice all the way through the year. We were together to listen to stories, reflect on scripture and sing. The event was both intercession for people who all year round struggle in impossible circumstances and a festive celebration at the same time.
This service was particularly important to me. It was beautifully designed and presented with a lot of thought and love - whether through the choir, Westminster Deaf Service interpreters or the different creative stations for prayer. It is not often that I feel my worship truly reflects my work and commitment to working for peace. So I am grateful that on occasion we were able to honour refugees, those caught up in the troubles in the Holy Land, women who suffer from violence and those who seek to transform conflict throughout the world.
Each theme had a scripture verse, a personal story, a prayer from Pope Francis or a litany and a song. During the service we were all invited to make a pilgrimage around the church to each area, by way of accompanying people throughout the world who find themselves in situations of flight, discrimination, trafficking or isolation. We sang in English, Arabic and Hebrew and made a commitment to instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. It meant a lot to me to share those words with a mix of people who I know do that in their daily lives.
After the service, we all went downstairs to share a mince pie and glass of wine. JRS had a stall with crafts made by refugees in Kenya (www.jrsea.org/mikono) and sold more than £100 of products. Thank you to everyone who bought something from us.
Read more about Pax Christi’s work: www. paxchristi.org.uk
Read more about JRS’ work in Syria: http://en.jrs.net/campaigns_
The collection was taken for Pax Christi and JRS Syria. You can donate here: https://en.jrs.net/donate
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Victoria, volunteer at JRS-UK, writes about our Mikono crafts for Christmas
Our delivery of handmade crafts from Kenya arrived in a big box just 2 weeks ago!
Inside, there were some handmade crucifixes, beaded spiral bracelets, some wooden holy family carvings, animal design key rings…
They come from the Mikono craft gift shop in Nairobi. They are made by refugees who have come to Kenya. The money raised helps support the crafts people and can be the only source of income to feed their family.
For example, Rwandese refugees make the sisal baskets with lid that comes in a set of 5 packed inside the big set. This is a traditional basket back in Rwanda. It is made from natural sisal which is originally white in colour. To get variety in colours, the sisal can be dyed in differently depending on the artist, clients or popular colours on the market. The baskets are crafted in a traditional weaving style from the centre going out in a spiral manner. To hold the sisal together, a needle and a thread are used. The different coloured sisal are added in the course of the weaving at specific points to form a pattern or a shape as the product gets a complete face. The artist stretches the main sisal to form a narrow opening or wide basket cover. The lid is made in the same manner with the size of the basket opening in mind.
We approach parishes within the London area to have a craft stand on Sundays leading up to Christmas or during Lent. A lot of the smaller items are between £2 to £5 and some of the larger items are £15 to £20, so a good range of prices. The benefits of contributing towards refugees’ livelihood actually provides them within an income and for us there are also some excellent stocking fillers! My favourite item is double tie between the colourful beaded key rings and the angel banana leaf tree decorations.
For more information visit our website and see our mini-catalogue to see what’s available and how to order.
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One of our bags is missing...
Volunteers and staff took part in the National Justice and
Peace Network Annual Conference 'Breaking Open The Word' in Derbyshire. It was
quite a journey...
We were
invited to run a workshop from JRS and decided to offer one on Gospel Based
Attitudes to Welcoming Refugees. A lot of
advance planning was needed, which helped structure our contributions. The workshop was led by Liliane and Br Joe,
two of our volunteers at the JRS day centre, who were able to share their
personal experience of accompanying refugees and making an asylum application
in the UK.
We were
invited to run a workshop from JRS and decided to offer one on Gospel Based
Attitudes to Welcoming Refugees. A lot of
advance planning was needed, which helped structure our contributions. The workshop was led by Liliane and Br Joe,
two of our volunteers at the JRS day centre, who were able to share their
personal experience of accompanying refugees and making an asylum application
in the UK.
Liliane
was so nervous in advance that she was shaking, but she was happy while
facilitating the workshop. None of the
participants would have known she was so nervous in advance! Most of the
participants were already interested in the topic and were in fact already
accompanying refugees themselves.
"It was very encouraging to see their involvement. They wanted affirmation and hope from the workshop",
says Liliane, who was encouraged herself by their response to her story.
The
workshop was able to share hope, while pointing out how perilous the asylum
process can be for people going through it, and participants left renewed in
their will to act positively; some wanting to engage local parishes in
awareness raising, or wanting to volunteer in local projects.
The
workshop took place in a wider context of the conference which invited those
present to reconsider, through worship and through the input of Megan McKenna,
to hear the Gospel afresh and to live it out every day.
The
conference was a fantastic experience, though we ended on a bittersweet note of
losing the bag full of crafts made by refugees in Kenya at Derby station. We hope whoever has them now enjoys them
fully! Unfortunately the bag lost is the
one we normally use at the day centre to collect sandwiches donated by Pret a
Manger... Oops!
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