It is safe to say that the past year has not been an easy one. With COVID-19 fears, lockdowns, and a sense of detachment from friends, family (and people in general), as we all stayed at home: it has been an incredibly tough time for many.
Due to these restrictions and the fact that non-essential services and activities were put on hold, our bagforeveryone workshops unfortunately had to stop in April 2020- just months after we started the classes on the Greek island of Lesvos. After much planning, and a huge amount of excitement about starting the workshops, this closure came as a real blow.
However, after a long wait, and a lot more planning to ensure that the area was COVID-safe and ready for participants, we are delighted to have re-started the sewing workshops once more!
Find out a little more information about the project below, and if you can spread the word to family, friends, and colleagues about the project we would be so grateful.
Where are they held?
The bagforeveryone workshops are based on Lesvos, a Greek island which can be found close to the Turkish coast. Lesvos has received international news coverage over the last five years as one of the faces of the European “refugee crisis”; in 2015 alone, over one million refugees arrived on Lesvos and the surrounding Aegean islands.
Our bagforeveryone workshops were designed to give people residing on Lesvos a safe place to learn how to sew on industrial sewing machines and learn a new skill: they are held at OpenSpace, the community centre of our partner organisation on the ground in Lesvos, Starfish Foundation.
What happens in a bagforeveryone workshop?
As well as being a space for socialising, the bagforeveryone workshops focus on the creativity of individuals. Each participant is taught how to use an industrial sewing machine; they learn the basics and are taught different patterns, before moving on to create the shopperbags and essentials cases that can be found on our website. One of the most important aspects of the project is that when the participants learn the necessary skills, they too can go on to teach the class.
The collections you find on our website have all been made by hand in our workshops; each items shares a story, and each purchase supports the survival of the project.
Masooma, having learnt the skills, will soon start teaching the sewing class to Farsi-speakers.
What is the current situation on Lesvos?
At the time of writing this update, around 7,200 refugees and asylum seekers reside on Lesvos. Of those, 6,200 live in the RIC Lesvos camp, with the majority of the population from Afghanistan (65%). Children make up 32% of the present population of refugees on the island (UNHCR: 2021).
The situation on Lesvos is ever-changing, but frustrations continue to rise regarding asylum procedure delays (due to COVID) and the living conditions of a “temporary” camp in the hot summer temperatures. In addition, the hardships of the global pandemic are felt more acutely by those residing in the camp as their freedom of movement is restricted further. People are stuck “in limbo” as they await their asylum decisions.
It remains vitally important that we stay informed about the situation for refugees and asylum seekers worldwide, but we do need to remind ourselves that behind the figures and statistics are individuals with unique stories and tales to tell. We are thankful for the people we meet in our workshops, each person bringing their own character and personality to the items they are crafting.
How can I attend?
If you, or someone you know on Lesvos, would like to attend the workshops, please reach out to us via email. You can send an email to projects@asterias-starfish.org and someone from the Starfish Foundation team will get back to you with more information.
We want to extend a sincere thank you for your unwavering support. To all of you who have purchased a bag on our website, who have followed us on social media, and those of you who have shared the project or raised awareness about the situation on Lesvos with loved ones, we appreciate it so much.
Browse the collections here:
LEARN MORE
