Arabic version: مجموعة خياطة للاجئات تواجه نقصًا في التمويل لحفل أزياء

Esperance Nyirabarahinyuza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, runs a house-turned community hub in Woodridge, south of Brisbane, where about a dozen women gather around sewing machines to make vibrant, multi-coloured dresses.

According to ABC News, the house is home to Women’s Power of Inspiration (WPI), a not-for-profit organisation Esperance set up to address loneliness and isolation within the refugee and migrant community in Logan. The organisation began with a simple barbecue and has grown to more than 100 members who make dresses, bags and other traditional items.

Esperance arrived in Australia in 2002 after surviving the 1990s genocide in Rwanda. She and her family spent years in refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Uganda. Her husband and two children were killed in an attack on a refugee camp in Uganda while she suffered severe head injuries. Esperance later remarried in Melbourne in 2009 and had a son, Prynce, who at 18 months suffered a stroke and was left with severe disabilities.

WPI members use sewing as a way to meet, but the conversations and mutual support are central to the group. Women come together to learn English, understand Australian finances, recognise domestic violence and prepare for work. Silvia Niyonsaba, who helped set up the group with Esperance, described WPI as a healing place for women who brought trauma to Australia. Godeberthe Gwahekazi has showcased dresses she made at the group’s annual fashion gala.

The group held a fashion parade at a community centre in Slacks Creek at the end of May, an event that has become a fixture since WPI was founded. Esperance said this year’s event might be the last for a while because they are struggling to make it financially viable. Esperance said the situation was “heartbreaking” and that the event needs support; she emphasised that “it’s not about the dresses, it’s not about that. It’s about healing.”

Logan City Councillor Teresa Lane helped WPI obtain the lease for the council-owned house the group uses and said local government is helping the organisation navigate challenges. Councillor Lane said they would “hunt for some sponsors” to try to keep the gala going and possibly expand it. Meanwhile, the women continue to meet in Woodridge, keep sewing and support one another as they seek sponsors to sustain the showcase and the wider program.