The looms

The seven looms sent out to Kandy, Sri Lanka during the first lockdown in April last year are now in full use. The survivors of gender-based violence living in the refuge are using them as part of their daily activities to learn to weave and as a form of resilience therapy. The video below shows one of the girls at work.

Project 1

My friend, Krystyna Gadd, designed Project 1 to help develop the girls’ weaving skills through making small bedside mats. She posted a huge box of wool out for them to practise on as the lockdown prevented us taking it out there in our suitcases.

Since then the girls have been making other woven items as part of a social enterprise project. Once completed they are quality checked and sent to Sthree, the WDC shop, on the Peradeniya Road in Kandy, ready to sell to the local and tourist markets. The money from the sales goes to provide further vocational and educational activities at the refuge, helping the girls become self-sufficient when they leave.

Project 2

This week Krys is sending out the details for Project 2, which will develop the girls’ weaving skills to a more advanced level. For this one they’ll be making these gorgeous table mats. Special thanks to Krys for all her creative planning and resources, and to Jane Hull from The Weaving Guild who is sending out a parcel of yarn from her own stash of wool.

Next up: A Sri Lankan friend’s favourite spicy Sri Lanka chicken curry

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