She said she had never used a sewing machine before.
But that day, she sat beside our women, learned the first few stitches, and made her own little souvenir, a bag charm she could truly call her own.
She is Deanna, our second guest at Project Connect, and this was her moment at the Ekatra workshop.
What started as a simple activity turned into something far more meaningful. The women patiently showed her how to sew, how to knot, how to hold the fabric just right. It wasn’t just teaching, it felt like one friend showing another something she loved. The room was full of laughter, small mistakes, little victories, and that warmth you only feel when something real is being made.
Watching her expression, the curiosity in her eyes, the excitement in her smile, reminded us why handmade things hold so much heart. Each stitch carried a conversation, a connection, a story that now travels with her in that tiny charm.
And as she walked out, holding what she had made with her own hands, we realised again that it’s not just about creating things at Ekatra. It’s about creating belonging, one story at a time
