update February 2024

the new class in Itavapazu in the Departamento de Amambay. On the right our coordinator Lourdes Vegas.

Dear friends of the sewing project Paraguay,

Thank you for friendship and trust even if we have thousands of miles between us.We wish you all a very blessed  and protected year 2024. One of our favourite songs is : the Goodness of God. You can hear this song with the wonderful voice of CeCe Winans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sE5kEnitqE&ab_channel=CeCeWinansVEVO

Yes, God has been and still is very good to us. The latest big gift: friends from the Chaco bought a Toyota Prado(Photo above) for the sewing ministry. Thank you so much – and we are more than excited to see where this vehicle will take us and our teachers. In the middle of the photo you can see the couple Marina and Peter from Bolivia. They donated us their time: 2x 10 days. She has studied fashion design, Peter has his own sewing machine repair shop in Santa Cruz and is the man for our hopeless cases. He can almost recover any machine. We are very blessed indeed. We could already send to Bolivia some sewing machines  to open up a new sewing class, besides the already existing class in their church. They serve in a very poor neighbourhood in Santa Cruz.They came by bus. It was a 24 hour trip. Thank you Peter and Marina for your time and friendship. 

We could train Noelia as well, a women from Bolivia, Santa Cruz. She is in a sewing group in her local church and could learn our program within 10 days.

The women prepared with much love this Graduation celebration of the 9-month Basisclass in Mbutuy

 On our way to an indigenous community in the north of Paraguay close to the frontier of Brazil. What a wonderful nature and almost endless big farms. We take the table sewing machines to the village. Our instructor will ride by motorbike with her husband once a month to teach there. 

Our Problems and challenges – please pray for us.

We have lost teachers because of the drinking problem of the husbands. They threatened the family life with their behavior.

The threatened teacher in the women prison couldn’t find the courage to teach there again. Another woman replaced her but couldn’t teach as regular as we had planned.

And again, and again our students stop to participate because they can’t pay for the fabric. This happened in 2009 and this continues to happen in 2023.

Our indigenous teachers don’t have their own motorcycle. How could we ask them to teach in a distant community? They borrow the motorcycle for a lot of money from their neighbor’s or relatives and expect us to cover these expenses or we buy them a motorcycle and they pay back … or we postpone the decision and nothing happens fast. We need wisdom and appreciate your prayers.

We are glad to see smiling faces in our sewing classes. For some women the sewing can be a therapy to overcome stress and depression or just to relax.

In 2023 – after six months of waiting - we could receive the new sewing machines delivery. This was a special experience with the Paraguayan customs: ignorance, corruption, inability, bureaucracy, God’s miracles and very helpful customs officers. We became stronger and wiser.

Now and then we try to be very flexible and teach even small groups like these 2 teenagers in the photo above. They live in a village without electricity, 20 houses, one church and a beautiful starlight sky. They learn to sew and to repair their clothes, because the next shop is far away.

An we miss Sheri Bitzan, the founder of Projects for the people of Paraguay and the initiator of the sewing project in 2009. we are looking forward to see her in heaven again.

For those among you who need numbers to understand what has changed since 2009:

- 2009 : 12 sewing machines, 1 teacher(Sylvia), no fabrics – only already used labcoats from US hospitals to cut; 24 students,  1 classroom,

•      - 2023: more than 400 available sewing machines in around 60 villages, towns and communities, 300 -400 students every year; fabrics- yes, sometimes we have to buy a lot. We are very blessed with the donation of the leftovers of a former bedsheet company in Germany; 32 teachers, among them 10 Indigenous women; our proper sewing center with 2 modern classrooms, industrial machines, a kitchen and 2 bedrooms for the visiting teachers from the interior.

A small group in Villa Elisa/Asunicon

These women learn together in Obligada a town in the south of Paraguay. The teacher there is a pastor's wife who already knew how to sew. So ist was very easy for her to learn our program. 

Since 2018 we are participating in fairs. In between the banners is Patro, our teacher. She was Sylvia's second student in 2009. Now she is capacitating our teachers and future teachers and as well teaching every year indigenous women in a 5 week camp.See photos below.

 

For the 4th time we taught indigenous women how to sew for 5 weeks during a camp organized by the German Indigenous Pionier Mission. In spite of the high temperatures, they had to sew the warm jackets as well.

Many of the indigenous women are very shy – we say callado in Spanish. We are very glad that our indigenous teacher Natalia(standing) keeps learning and improving her skills as a teacher

 

 

•        We are thankful for the many sewing shops and friends in Germany. They donate and frequently bring the machines to the storage place.

•        Thank you for the donated Bibles.

•        A friend offered for the second time to buy repair parts.

•        A couple donated shelves for the sewing center and bought tools for a sewing repair workshop.

•        Thank you for your friendships and prayers

indigenous women of the Ache tribe in Limpio in 2023. We started in 2013 with them in their community in Puerto Barra to teach First Nation communities. Right now they would need opportunities to sell their products.

The new sewing center of the Sewing Project Paraguay:

 in Limpio - May 2017

Finally we could finish and start to use our new sewing center.

 We had to put a lot of effort in the process of the construction. 

 Our teachers did already sew some chair covers. Bit by bit we will try to fix the details and  establish the other rooms. The plan was to paint the floor. We had no more money. One morning Norbert woke up in thoughts of the floor and the progress with the construction. He prayed: “ Lord Jesus, if you send us money right now, we will tile the floor and everything will be so much nicer and easier to  keep clean. “ At 10:00 the office of a organisation called and asked Norbert: „ When are you planning to pass by to receive the money?“ „Which money?“ he asked. „ Well, the donation which we received for your sewing project a few days ago!“ „I didn’t know about it!“ he replied.  The joy was great. When we bought the tiles, the first quality tile was discounted and cheaper as the second quality tile. The salesman couldn’t explain it. This way we could tile the whole building. The sewing project has very bright rooms, now.

At the same time, the sewing classes started and the new created workshops. Ms. Sabine Frank from the Senior Expert Service -  a ministry of the German Government has been with us again for 9 weeks to teach our teachers. Everybody is missing her very much. Thank you Sabine!

 The leader of the  US Organisation PPP (Projects for the People of Paraguay), Ms. Sheri Bitzan (photo below) visited us. It was the initiative of her organisation that started this sewing project in 2009.  The project wasn’t our idea –simply a miracle.

blankets for the flood victims in Paraguay

 Paraguay had  a big flood  a few months ago. The rising rivers forced  tens of thousands of Paraguayans to leave their houses. "El nino"! In the last weeks almost all the families could move back. Thanks to donations we were able to sew new blankets.

Our sewing lady Marguerita showed us how high the level of the rio Paraguay was. But after the families had left their houses the lootings started.

We invited the affected women to sew their own new blanket for their families and affected relatives and neighbours.

The women were/are coming every Friday afternoon.

They are very thankful and glad and can proudly present their blankets.

 This event is a big sucess for everyone who is supporting the sewing project. We couldn't do this without the supplies, without the skilled and trained teachers, without the sewing machines. Thank you. On the photo below our teacher Margerita (left) is showing the next step.

We distributed some blankets - see photos below: It was a little gift, but one recipient said. " It is a little gift that comes from a big heart!" 

The river is far away.

photo above: single mother in her hut.

 We felt as we were visiting some of the poorest of the country.

 The line in the wood indicates very well where the water level was.

 The family of an electrician. A lot of persons had to rescue their things and move into a shelter.They couldn't go to work and some lost their job - like this man..

 Photos below:
We visited a Refugio in Zeballos Cué. The families decided to move back when the school year will finish in December. So the kids don't have to move to another school during the school year.

In between the huts:

Thank you so much!!.

progress 2015 part 2

2.Semester 2015

 A dream comes true!!

We finished the year 2015 with our first fashion show. We prepared the catwalk, the devotional time, music and a little snack. A lot of improvisation but it worked!! We were so impressed.!!

This event was such a success that we will do it every year. We will invite relatives and friends and would like to invite the pupils from the national schools as well.We uploaded some videos on our facebook page:  Enjoy!!!  https://www.facebook.com/Sewing-project-Paraguay-1471027909840312/

Every woman showed some of her creations. Afterwards they received their diploma. Some have worked really hard -but the most important thing: they endured. What a creativ potential lies within them. We are excited and proud of them!!

One maintitle of the catwalk music was: „Creelo“(Believe it!) from Sheila Romero. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThhGfHk9NGQ

The schools:

All schools had an exposition. The Photo below shows the Colegio San Enrique, in which we a very moving mini -fashion show. Have a look at our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Sewing-project-Paraguay-1471027909840312/

We chose the song "Speak Life" (from Toby Mac) 

the television came and showed what the students in the Colegio Palmar did learn.

The Aché Indios

We were invited to participate in the festivities of the 39th founding party of the Ache tribe in Puerto Barra.  We have never dreamed to teach Indios. Thank you God!

We heard one phrase several times: God forgives you every sin, but the time is merciless! the leaders wanted to express that they have to press forward or they will have to face the same fate as so many other tribes in Paraguay - as begglars besides the roads and parks.

The seamstresses and leaders of the Aché in Puerto Barra.

And we are glad that our input moves other persons and organisations: the wive of the district governor of Alto Parana donated a new overlock machine.

  

A big thank you to our supporters: The company Stratic donated suitcases, the company gütermann donated fabrics.  A lot of families gave us their used sewing machine. Our friends in the blackforest town of Ebersweier were amazing. Our friend Christa Kaltenbrunn organized fundraiser parties. .Our friend Georg Scheifler did repair the sewing machines. The Nähzentrum Regner in Weißenburg/Bavaria is collecting since the beginning. Thank you so much!!Gracias!