A clip here, a line of stitching there, and two plain old pieces of fabric are formed into a delightful dress for a little girl.
Not just any little girl, mind you. An African girl who has nothing: no other material possessions to her name.
This girl is one of millions of children who live in such abject poverty when her parents are forced to make choices between essentials such as food or clothing, and food inevitably wins out.
MORE: Woman Repurposes Wedding Dress Into Gowns For Stillborn Babies
No matter what the pattern of the material, no matter if it has pockets, or ruffles, or not, each dress these girls receive will be treasured as most likely their first personal possession and quite often even their first item of clothing.
It will become her cloak of dignity, her cotton suit of armor. It will become a message that says she is cared for by her family as well as by people across the globe.
LOOKING FOR A SMILE?….GET OUR NEW GOOD NEWS APP—> Download FREE for Android and iOS
My husband and I give financially to many causes, which is critical, yes, but sometimes it feels so remote.
Whenever the angry world seems as if it’s spinning out of control, making these pillowcase dresses is my hands-on means of productively, positively helping.
It’s my refuge.
WATCH: 99-Year-Old Woman Sews Her 1,000th Dress For Little Girls in Africa
I know that a little girl somewhere is going to receive the dress I’m sewing and that her heart will be happy. I believe that she’ll sense that someone somewhere cares for her even if they’ve never met her, and hopefully she’ll gain a bit of self-confidence and self-worth from her new garment.
Yes, it’s a small contribution, but it just might be huge to a little child.
That’s my dream.
Learn How to Sew and Donate Dresses at LittleDressesForAfrica.org.