Quilts for Africa

It's been an interesting day for a quilter like me: two quilt projects helping out in Africa. I'm doing them in reverse, starting with an email received this evening from a quilter who used to do a blog called "Real Women Quilt". She's started up a new blog and her major project right now is raffling off a quilt called "Living Water". Here is what she writes on the crowdrise fundraising website: "My heart has been breaking lately for communities around the world that do not have access to clean drinking water.  It's hard for my brain to even wrap around this concept having lived my entire life with clean running water available in my home.  I've never even had to walk outside to get it!  There are places where people walk miles each day with jugs to get water for their family.  Guess what?--many times the water that they are gathering isn't even clean. 

"So with all that in mind, this quilt will be raffled in an attempt to raise money for a well in Africa."

Here is a photo of the quilt:

I've donated, and so can you by clicking on the link in my sidebar.

But what is so curious is that earlier today, Kent Weeks and I made a visit to the SunShine Project here in Luxor to deliver another batch of quilts made by two lovely women in Washington State and one quilt made by a fourth-grade class in Everett (WA). I say "another batch" because these women have made and donated dozens of quilts to the SunShine children. The "lead quilter" is Barb Krause and she says this about her experience: "Several years ago I had the pleasure of being able to travel to Luxor, Egypt. There I visited Sunshine Project International, a home for abandoned and orphaned children in Luxor. They stole my heart! 

"The following year I took a quilt for the 1-year-old boy that we sponsor. I had appliquéd his name on it so they would know whose it was after I left. He didn't care, being only 1, but there was a girl there, about 10, who asked about the quilt and how his name got on it. I told her I made it. She says, 'with your own hands?' miming sewing with a needle and thread. I said yes. She was so amazed. I decided then and there that I had to put a quilt on each one of the children's beds!

"The following year I took over 15 quilts. I visited again the day after I dropped them off and saw them on the beds in two of the rooms for the toddlers. I almost cried. I am still making quilts for them. I truly hope to make a quilt for each one of the kids. They have just about 80 kids now, so some of the babies may get fleece throws, but I will keep stitching away!"

Kent and I had never been to the facility, so it was a real pleasure to visit and deliver the quilts and have a tour provided by Mr. Bahaa. Here are some photos from our visit.

Mr. B and Kent with the student-made quilt

Mohamed and the dinosaur quilt

Habiba made a bee-line for me and wouldn't let go!

Toddlers on the new quilt (with an earlier one underneath)

A bedroom for the little ones 

Computer lab

Library 

Mosque

And here are some of the kids (there are currently 86 in residence):

You can find out more at their website: SunShine Project.