Oxfam Bloggers Against Poverty : Sewing in the Democratic Republic of Congo

When Oxfam got in touch with me if I wanted to do be involved with Oxfam Bloggers Against Poverty I was really excited to get involved and raise awareness of just some of the issues facing the world which Oxfam are responding to. 

The Issue

One of these issues is the violence which still plagues the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)  which forces many people to flee from their homes and these people need to find ways of supporting themselves. 

There are over 55,000 people in the Kibati camp and many of the people who fled came with nothing. Oxfam helps by providing safe water, sanitation equipment etc and also run training sessions to teach people in camp skills such as tailoring, sewing and basket making. 

Hubert & Marceline

Hubert and Marceline are two of the people in the camp and managed to bring with them their sewing machine. Hubert mends tattered clothes in camp and by bringing his heavy singer sewing machine he's able to survive for over a year.

“I knew I had to take it with me, how else would I put food on the table? I was here back in 2009 without any means to survive and I did not want to put my family in this situation again”

Marceline also fled with her sewing machine and is a tailor. She charges about 1500 Congolese Francs (less than £1.50) to make a dress however most of here clients are from Goma town as people in camp rarely have enough money for her services. With this business, along with support from Oxfam, Marceline is able to put food on the table for her family and is creating her own business.

Oxfam's Response

I think most people are aware of a lot of the work which Oxfam do; they provide safe water, sanitation equipment and hygiene essentials in an emergency. Their "Oxfam Buckets" include essentials from soap to sanitary towels, to help people maintain their health and cleanliness. 

Most importantly, Oxfam encourages national initiatives and increased regional and international political engagement which has led to important advances and new agreements to resolve con ict and insecurity in places like the DRC.

However, something I wasn't as aware of was that Oxfam also run training sessions to teach people new skills such as sewing, tailoring and, basket making.

Importance of Regular Donations

I've always found it amazing how little money it takes to improve someones life quite drastically in these camps. 

£2.50 can provide 25 water treatment sachets to a family in an emergency which is enough to make around 500 litres of water safe: enough to last a family of four for a month.

£5 can provide 20 Award winning ‘Oxfam buckets’ which allow people to access clean water without risk of contamination by dirt and disease, as it has a closable lid and a tap.

Giving monthly gives allows Oxfam to respond in emergencies and stay to help people rebuild their lives. 

If you want to donate to Oxfam, you can do so by going to oxfam.org.uk/donate