Reg Charity No. 1160494            Telephone: 07761 380685
Craft aid international
  • Home
  • Donate

Paper-making in Peru and other news...

4/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
After a very fruitful time in Ecuador, Susie has been in Arequipa for a week, seeing how the project there is getting on and giving support to the team. Yesterday was a historic day, as she and the 'Nuevas Fuerzas' group made the very first maize-leaf paper in Arequipa! A pile of maize is pictured below, with some traditional Peruvian fabric in the background!  "It was massive fun all round" says Susie, "and super productive too. I also met up with 3 of the differently-able outworkers: A pleasure and a privilege to work with these fabulous people." One of the trainees proudly holds up the first piece of finished paper below.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Meanwhile, in the UK, we have been preparing for Easter, making Easter treats and flower decorations in our community craft sessions. (If you're interested in chocolate...the mini egg buckets below will be sold at St Mark's Church, Harrogate, on Palm Sunday!) Our community craft workshops continue to be a source of fun and creativity in the lives of the differently-able participants. Speaking to one of our regular participants the other week, he said how much he enjoys making things and seeing everybody each week.

​Our hospital craft sessions also continue to be an important opportunity for hospital inpatients to be creative, socialise and practice their motor skills. The participants had great fun marbling paper last week, producing some beautiful results!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​It has also been encouraging to see several community groups running fundraising events for Craft Aid recently. Last week, Harrogate & District Soroptimists International held a coffee morning in aid of our work, raising £115, plus also selling some of our craft products.

​St Margaret's Church, where we hold some of our weekly craft sessions, have also continued to faithfully support us. This Easter season they are hosting a unique passion play at the church (8th April); entry is free and they're very kindly doing a collection in aid of our work. Please do head to Horsforth for this great evening! You can check out the advert here: ​
https://vimeo.com/206262655. 
Picture
Picture
"Crosslight is a communal experience of theatre and worship which draws its audience into the Easter narrative. It tells the events of Christ’s Passion though the eyes of one disciple who failed, despite everything he believed so passionately:
'Caught in the crosslight of the flickering candles at the last supper, the torches of Gethsemane, the firelight in the courtyard, by the searching gaze of his Lord, Simon ‘the rock’ is shattered. The disciple chosen to lead, is in pieces.
As he hangs from the cross, Jesus is surrounded by a jeering crowd, laughing at his claim to be the Son of God. A small group of family and friends stands by until the agony ends. But the great friend who, more than any other, has stood by Jesus throughout the story is conspicuous by his absence.'
​
‘A fascinating psychological drama… The show asks questions of its audience about what we learn through failure, the importance of forgiveness and the power of redemption… Tremendous.’ (York Press, 2016)"
Zawadi, St Aidan's School charity run by students, continues to fundraise for Craft Aid, and this April, they're holding a Ceildh for us. Please do join in the fun and come along! There will be live music and plenty of cake and Ceilidh dancing! This is being held at Mowbray Community Church Hall from 7.00-9.30pm on the 29th April. (See the poster for ticket prices.)

It's fantastic to see how our local community has really got behind Craft Aid's vision and is wanting to raise much-needed funds for our work in Peru, Ecuador and the UK. If you'd be interested in holding a fundraising event, please do get in touch and we can supply you with flyers, and any of our products if you wish to hold a stall. ​Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting us whether through fundraising, praying, donating or volunteering, from nearby or afar! We couldn't do any of our work without you! 

And finally, just to say, you can now buy tickets to our Summer Ball! 1st July at Constance Green Hall, St Aidans School, Harrogate. 7.00-11.30pm. Book early to avoid disappointment! 
​https://craftaidinternational.charitycheckout.co.uk/page1
Picture

Written by
Ella Green

0 Comments

Pom-Pom Magic

11/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
We've been super busy this last month creating some rather splendid Christmas garlands and wreathes. Glitter, as usual has been involved! But this year, we've also introduced some new pom-pom products. Pom-poms came into fashion this spring, and it's a trend that has stayed in the shops this summer and autumn. Now you can carry this fashion into your homes for Christmas with our fabulous new pom-pom wreathes! (Sneak peak above) We've been making them at our therapeutic craft sessions using wool that has kindly been donated to us. 
Picture
Pom-poms are also going to feature at our exhibition at the Knitting and Stitching Show, one of the biggest craft fairs in Europe (see Tash's last blog post). It's being held at the Harrogate International Centre from the 24th-27th November. Our differently-able participants and volunteers will be selling our products there and teaching visitors how to make poms-poms using our special pom-pom gadgets! (Much better than the old school method using a cardboard circle!) You can now book your tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show on their website: http://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate.  Please do come and say hi to us and have a look at our beautiful craft kits and products, all handmade in the UK & Peru by differently-able artisans. 
This month we've also been preparing for other selling opportunities and events. We're especially looking forward to our Candle-lit Carol service on the 1st December at St Peter's Church in Harrogte town centre. It's the perfect time and location for anyone in town to come along after work for some mulled wine and mince pies and sing some traditional carols together. We'll also be selling some of our products - a great opportunity to find some Christmas gifts! The service will feature a beautiful solo performance by acclaimed vocalist and harpist, Lucy Bunce.  Some of you may have enjoyed the concert she held for us last year. It will be a wonderful time to enjoy some peace and calm, in what can often be quite a frenetic season. Entry is free! 
Picture
Whilst we're busy here in Yorkshire with craft sessions and events, our volunteers and employees in Arequipa have also been working hard. Fiona and Chris Courtman have now moved to work full-time at the project for the next few years, so we'll be sharing more about them and their work very soon... ​

Written by
Ella Green

0 Comments

Summer Highlights!

9/2/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
We’ve had an action-packed summer, so before we move into the next craft-filled academic year, we thought it would be a good time to savour some of most exciting moments of CAI’s Summer 2016: 

 1. Getting glammed up for our Summer Ball…

​Guests indulged in a gorgeous, candlelit, three-course meal, enjoyed some fabulous live Jazz, and won some amazing prizes (a         holiday in Barbados, a family photography shoot, a luxury facial and all sorts of other goodies). It was an unforgettable night and we raised over £6500 through the event!  (You can order your photos of the night here.)
Picture
Picture

2. Unwrapping a stunning new range of Peruvian products… 

Every time a big cardboard box from Peru is delivered to the Craft Aid office, it feels like Christmas! It's always exciting to see all the new high-quality craft products that our differently-able artisans in Arequipa have been making. These vibrant cushions made from traditional Peruvian fabric are some of our newest arrivals.
Picture
​They’ve already been very popular at craft fairs and stalls. We’ve even been… 

3. Selling our new products in London…

​In July, we had the amazing opportunity to have a stall at Plaza Latina, “London’s best Latin American festival” with music, food, dance, art and kids activities. Our craft products may even be appearing in shops in Shoreditch soon, so keep your eyes peeled…
Picture
Picture

4. Seeing the incredible generosity of our supporters...

​We have so nearly raised the funds we need to buy the building in Arequipa, where we want to establish our craft centre. We have raised a huge amount of money in one year, and particularly over the last few months. ​We are so grateful to everyone who has given. To find out about our vision to employ more differently-able workers in Peru, watch the video.  

5. Enjoying some crafting fun at the heart of the Harrogate community…

​This July, we ran a Craftival at Happygate, Harrogate’s new arts & music festival. This event raised money for three local charities, and we were blessed to be one of the benefiting charities! We had three bustling craft areas where visitors could learn how to produce beautiful marbled paper, make some seriously funky pom-poms, or even create their very own mosaic (if you missed the event, fear not! Watch Susie’s mosaic tutorial here.) Our disabled participants created a spectacular mosaic sign for the event, which drew a lot of attention. It was great to be able to show visitors some of the activities that we do at our therapeutic craft sessions and to share about our work with the Harrogate community.
Picture
It’s been a busy few months, and we’re excited about what’s ahead. Soon we’ll be waving off some new volunteers, who will be moving to work at our project in Peru, but more about that next time! 

Written by
Ella Green

1 Comment

Back in South America

6/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
It’s wonderful to be back in the Southern Hemisphere! To make me feel even more at home here in Arequipa, this time I’m staying with the wonderful family of Pastor Abel and his wife Betsaida. I’m here to see how our volunteer Ellie Thompson is getting on, and to escort her safely across the border to Bolivia and back so that she can renew her visa. When I left her here 3 months ago she barely had any Spanish, so it makes me *so* happy to see her chattering away with her host family like a native. She’s clearly perfectly at home and is being a huge blessing to the new craft project that Craft Aid is planting here.

​On my first full day here I was able to meet with all the young people from the larger Nuevas Fuerzas group that we’re working with. The world would describe this group as having ‘learning disabilities’, yet what they’ve learned in a short period is remarkable. They’re producing beautiful cards from Peruvian fabrics, and beads from recycled cereal boxes (hard to believe I know, but have a look at the finished result in the picture on the bottom left!) They were thrilled to bits to hear that all the cards they’ve sent to the UK so far have completely sold out, and they proudly told me that they’re selling well in Peru too. Christian, one of the group, stood up to make a welcome speech and said how pleased they were to be earning money from their work, which enabled them to buy the things they needed and help their families. It’s still very early days with this project, so it’s wonderful that those involved are already seeing the benefits. I told them that when they produce work that sells, two good things happen:
1) They get paid!
2) The world gets to see how talented and brilliant they are, and that’s just as important. It’s an opportunity for them to shine their light out all over the world, so people are able to see that God’s blessed them with talents and abilities just like everyone else.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The following day I set off early to purchase beads and materials for some new prototypes Ellie and I are working on, before boarding a bus to Puno, near the border with Bolivia. We arrived late at night after a 7 hour journey across arid mountains populated with alpaca’s and cactuses, and very little else. Our hostel in Puno was like an icebox, so we were pleased to be on our way again at dawn the next morning, finally crossing the border into Bolivia just before lunchtime. We’re staying in the village of Copacabana (see top photo), on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest inland lake in the world. At 14,000 feet or so, it’s absolutely freezing here, but the constant sunshine makes all the colours intensely beautiful, not least the lake, which glitters sapphire blue and is ringed with moss-green mountains.
Picture
Traditional Peruvian Fabric
Picture
Road to Puno - note alpaca road sign!
Before leaving Arequipa I was relieved and excited to see that the building we want to help the church buy is still for sale. The vision is to purchase this beautiful old building, renovate it and create a centre which will include craft workshops, a shop and café, all entirely staffed by people with disabilities. We have just £30,000 left to raise in order to purchase it, which is so much less than justa few months ago, but we need to raise this quickly if we’re to avoid losing the building to another buyer, and there’s nothing else remotely suitable within our price range anywhere nearby. Those of you who do, please pray we can raise this money soon. The Neema Crafts centre in Tanzania was almost entirely funded by hundreds of individuals giving relatively small amounts, so if you’d like to help then whatever you can give *will* make a difference, and will get up closer to making the vision a reality.

We have to stay out of Peru for a few days in order for Ellie to get a new visitors permit when we return, for the remainder of her 9 month stay, so we’re using the time productively to reflect on what we’re done so far, plan what we’re doing next and work on new designs. I bought way more beads with me on this trip than clothes – something I’m slightly regretting now I’ve discovered how cold it is here! We set off back to the relative warmth of Arequipa on Monday, arriving sometime the next day after more hours on busses than I care to calculate. Suffice to say, its’ a long way, so please pray we get back safely. Can’t wait to get back and meet up with the rest of the differently-able people we’re working with here, it’s so encouraging to see the beautiful work they’re all creating.

Look out for pictures next week!

Written by
Susie Hart

0 Comments

New people, new products, new Peru film and plenty of poppies

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
We had a fantastic craft session in Horsforth on Friday: 5 participants visited for the first time, so we all made some new friends, and the volunteers did a wonderful job of welcoming everyone in. We got stuck into some crafts for our new product line (watch this space), as well as carrying on with some of our classic products too, including the flower brooches and hair accessories. The participants were so productive cutting out the felt flowers that we ended up with practically a whole poppy field! 
Picture
 At break-time, we had tea and biscuits as usual (we have a few big biscuit fans in the group...including myself) and also watched our new short film about CAI's project in Peru. We've just posted it on the website this weekend, so you can now watch it here .

This 3 minute film captures some of the stories I heard when I was in Arequipa in March. It gives just a tiny insight into some of the many hardships faced by people with disabilities in Peru, as well showing the new freedom enjoyed by the people employed at the social enterprise. Something I heard whilst I was there, which didn't make it into the film, was a sad story from one of the women I spoke to. She told me that disability is often seen to be contagious, and so employers don't want disabled people to be part of their workforce. They are afraid of being around them, in case they 'catch a disability'. This is the kind of view that Craft Aid International really hopes to challenge in places like Arequipa.  Neema Crafts Centre (set up by our director, Susie) has successfully been overcoming these sorts of false assumptions and bringing healing to people, who've spent their lives being ignored by their communities.  We're only at the beginning of this journey in Arequipa, but we hope that this new social enterprise will not only provide employment, but will also break down barriers and unite communities in a very real and powerful way. 
Picture

Written by
Ella Green

0 Comments

Eye-catching fashion!

3/29/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Ella writes: After a whirlwind of a time in Peru, we arrived back in the UK a week ago. We returned to Lima for a day after leaving Arequipa to find a few more specific beads for the jewellery prototypes (such as the one in the photo above) that Ellie, Susie and Fiona had designed during the week. In Lima, we visited a silver jewellery shop, where the lady serving us asked Susie where her bracelet was from. It was one of the bracelets we had made in Arequipa with the group of people with learning disabilities. It was really encouraging to hear that there could be a market for such a product in Peru, especially from someone who is in the jewellery business herself. 

Since coming back to the UK, we've been working on a new Craft Aid film about the project in Peru, so keep a look out for this on our website (coming soon to a computer screen near you!) Whilst we were away, the craft sessions in Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds continued as usual, and some of our volunteers held an Easter stall, selling some of the crafts made in our sessions (I hear that fluffy chicks and chocolate were a feature.)

There is lots coming up for Craft Aid over the next few months, including an exhibition at a Christian youth event and our Summer Ball. (Head over to the events page and book your tickets!) Preparations are now getting underway!
Picture
We will also be putting lots of energy into fundraising for the new craft centre in Arequipa over the next couple of months. We've raised a huge amount already, and the small baptist church in Arequipa have done a fantastic job of raising funds too. We've got half the money we need to buy a building, but time is limited. The building that we are particularly interested in won't stay on the market forever. If you would like to put on a fundraising event for us, or donate to the project, please do get in touch or go to our donate page. Any amount you can give will make a difference! The project is already transforming lives of differently-able people in the community, but there is still so much further to go if we want to have the space to train and employ the many people currently on the streets, who are living with a disability.
1 Comment

Training, talking and turkey!

3/15/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Ella writes: Yesterday was a very productive day! Ellie and Fiona, our new design volunteers, sorted out some things for their stay here (they will soon be appearing on our meet the team page!) and Ellie also taught one of the differently-able artisans how to make a new earring design, which she picked up extremely quickly! We found out how she and her sister, another one of the differently-able artisans, had been getting on with the new bracelets over the weekend, and they had already produced twenty high quality bracelets in one afternoon!

I had the chance to interview her, as well as the two ladies who run the group for people with disabilities at the church. There is so much I could write about here, but time is a little limited, as we are about to head off to the church again. The thing that struck me most was actually quite a small detail, but I think it speaks clearly of the joy that Craft Aid's work brings. One of the ladies told me that the differently-able workers are so happy to now be earning some money, which allows them to contribute to family life. One of the participants bought the turkey for the Christmas dinner for the first time ever this year!

Later in the afternoon, we bought a few materials for the session today and briefly visited the shop where some of our products are sold. I finished the day with a hot chocolate Peruvian-style; this involved cream and vanilla ice cream!

Now off to meet the group of people with learning disabilities at the church to make some paper beads!
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Divine music, a splendid show, and much much more...

12/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Ella writes:

Sorry we’ve been a bit quiet on the blog-front recently – life has certainly not been quiet at Craft Aid over the last few weeks. Lots of exciting happenings….
 
On the 21st November, we held our first ever candle-lit concert with acclaimed vocalist and harpist Lucy Bunce. Glimmering tea-lights, angelic singing, heavenly harp music (pardon the cliché, but ‘heavenly’ does describe it well!) and a sparkly Peruvian jewellery display, along with other Craft Aid goods, made for a very beautiful evening. All this sophistication helped raise money towards the Peru project and awareness about the work of Craft Aid International. Susie also sang a few songs with Lucy. The music was so moving that at one point a whole row of the audience were in tears!
The following week was spent preparing for the Knitting and Stitching Show, which ran from Thursday to Sunday (26th-29th November). If you haven’t heard about it before, the show is not a theatrical production starring needles and thread… it is the biggest craft fair in Europe and we were very grateful to have a stand at this year’s show in Harrogate. It was an amazing experience.
 
Thousands of people came to Harrogate from all over the country especially for the show. Our volunteer Natasha (read a bit of her story here) did a brilliant job of helping prepare everything for the show and organised some exciting raffle prizes, including a signed book by British fashion icon, Zandra Rhodes. Differently-able participants from our Harrogate craft sessions helped behind the counter and worked on the stand, teaching the public how to make beautiful fabric flower corsages. Some participants volunteered at the stand every day, and even toured the show, giving out flyers and selling raffle tickets, which is a massive task in such an unbelievably huge venue. There were halls and halls of different craft stalls!
 
The Craft Aid products sold really well, and the other exhibitors were so helpful and supportive. We were even told our stall resembled Harrods! We also had several customers asking for advice about setting up craft sessions for differently-able people in various parts of the country. It is so encouraging to know that there are people all over the UK, who share CAI’s heart to empower people with disabilities, and who want to be trained and equipped to make this happen.
As well as a harp concert and the show, we have also had stalls at two Church Christmas fairs and Susie has been at several jewellery parties and given talks for different groups of people. Even as I write, she is travelling back from a weekend of events (including another concert, a jewellery party and various talks) in Cambridge. Meanwhile, the craft sessions continue to run, and the employees at the project in Peru have been busy keeping up with the large stock demands.
 
Just want to end this post by saying a huge huge thank you to everyone who has made all of these things possible. Sending you all lots of metaphorical gold stars from CAI! (sorry we’re not sending all our volunteers and supporters real star stickers…Maybe one day…)
0 Comments

    Authors:

    Susie Hart MBE
    Director of Craft Aid International
    Textile designer, Crafts instructor, Social entrepreneur, CMS Mission - Associate

    Liz Cluderay
    UK Programmes Officer and Volunteer Coordinator

    Archives

    June 2019
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    Beading
    Christmas
    Craft Centre
    Craft Session
    Ecuador
    Events
    Fundraising
    Interview
    Jewellery Party
    Nuevas Fuerzas
    Peru
    Products
    Reflections
    UK
    Volunteer

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.