Despite many years of experience as a seamstress, Shirley had difficulty finding enough work to help provide for her family. Although her husband worked hard as a city transit driver, they were not making ends meet.
Finding work was made more difficult because Shirley had young children who needed care, which meant she could not leave the home.
Thankfully, she was introduced to Work of Your Hand through her local church in the Philippines and a partnership was formed. By sewing bags from recycled materials for Work of Your Hand, Shirley received a fair wage for her work and was able to work from home.
At the same time, Work of Your Hand was amazed at Shirley’s skill as a seamstress—only to discover that the quality products she created for us were thanks to a previous job as a seamstress for Adidas!
With each visit to the Philippines, we were delighted to discover that Shirley and her family were thriving as a result of her hard work.
At first, she was able to help her son purchase school supplies for his upcoming year of university studies and to financially support him while he searched for a job.
Then, the family was able to save enough to buy a washing machine.
On our most recent visit, we discovered that Shirley and her family had exchanged their small, crowded home for a large, brand new house built specifically for them! Her son had successfully graduated from college, secured a good job, and was now able to financially support the family as well.
Shirley’s story is an incredible testament to how trade, more than aid, is an effective way to empower people to provide for themselves and thrive—all thanks to their own work ethic, talent, and growing skills.
Thank you for buying products from Work of Your Hand. Never forget that you are changing lives like Shirley’s, one purchase at a time.
