Nashville's Thistle Farms helps refugee women weave life vests into welcome mats

[Tanuki]

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/07/04/thistle-farms-helps-refugees-weave-life-vests-welcome-mats/438848001/
"In a refugee camp in Greece, 5,000 miles from Nashville, the Music City-based nonprofit Thistle Farms is helping Syrian women create a new life after escaping their former war-torn country.
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Thistle Farms founder Becca Stevens established weaving circles for female refugees at the camp to create welcome mats from their life vests. The nonprofit then helps the women sell the mats and returns the profits to them to use on transportation, food and other basic needs.
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For some on the trip, the experience was jarring. Stevens, who was honored as a CNN Hero in 2016 for her Thistle Farms work, was struck by the morose state of the camp.
She said there was a heavy air in the camp. Its residents did not walk anywhere, they sauntered as if in a haze. The camp reeked of decaying food and trash as waste built up. Jobs and opportunity are scarce for immigrants, but Stevens thinks that the Welcome Project is the first step to improving the refugee's position.
"I believe that when we start small, we can grow movements."
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"By improving the life of a few women in the camp, we can heal the whole group," Stevens said.
A Kurdish woman in the camp spoke with Stevens before she left, thanking her for teaching her weaving. She said her grandmothers used to weave, but because of all the generational turmoil in Syria, her family has forgotten the art. Thanks to Thistle Farms, she feels connected to her family again.
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Thistle Farms is planning to expand the Welcome Project to other refugee camps in Greece and eventually expand to other products. This is just the first step for helping these woman regain their dignity, human rights and freedom again, Hewitt said. ".....(more)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. People helping people.......this is how things get better. Thank you for this....n/t

[madokie]

2. Pretty much how it is

This hate that the 'CONs foist on us is not how we need to be. Love is the key to happiness