Hebo is from Somalia and we have been blessed to have her with us since 2022. One of the words she often uses is “I can’t or it is too difficult for me”. Sometimems even before whe has given it a try. One of the huddles we try to help the women at Creative Hands with is the fear of doing something new or changing from what they have always done to learning something different.
When Hebo first came to us she was already defeated and at first didn’t even want to try weaving. However with a gentle hand and sometimes a firm one she learned weaving and now she is willing to try new patterns.
Come 2024; we decided it was time for all our women at Creative Hands to learn sewing as part of their healing and acquiring a valuable new skill. We also realized that these women will end up moving to other countries where they might not be able to purchase a loom because it is expensive but they may be able to purchase a small sewing machine or someone might even give them one. This week Hebo is leaving sewing which she started last week.
Last week we tried teaching her how to use the overlock machine or serger as some call it. She made a number of mistakes and she gave up. I didn’t push her I let her go. Today, I asked her to watch me use the serger and she did with a wide smile. Then I left her doing some other work while was attending to something else. When I came back to where she was I was thrilled to see that she was at the serger and trying it alone and she did very well. She overcame her fear of failure and she is all smiles now. We are very proud of her. Grateful for Hebo’s determination to continue learning and not giving up!