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Batik quilts benefit Rwandan orphans

By Susan Johnson

Larson Newspapers

Friday May 22, 2009

Joy is about the last thing someone might think of finding in a windowless abandoned warehouse in Kigali, Rwanda, where 450 children, orphaned by AIDS and the 1994 genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis, struggle to survive every day.

Yet, that's exactly what Dottie Webster discovered when she traveled from her home in Sedona to a hostel down the street from the Hotel des Mille Collines, the lodging featured in Hotel Rwanda.

Webster was honored for her work at the orphanage by the National Association of Women Business Owners Sedona-Verde Valley Chapter with its Humanitarian Award on Friday, May 15.

Her plans for traveling to Africa began shortly after meeting Paul Oas in New Orleans while both were helping residents recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Oas is a member of Christ Lutheran Church in San Diego, which is a principal supporter of El Shaddai Center for Street Children in Rwanda.

After talking to Paul, I had no reservations about going. He had been there before and I trusted him and his involvement, Webster said.

Accompanying Webster was Suzanne Connolly, a clinical social worker as well as a practitioner and teacher of thought field therapy in Sedona.

Both were primarily concerned with using that form of remedy to treat the children for post-traumatic stress disorder.

After departing form the Phoenix Airport, the pair changed planes in London and Nairobi before arriving 32 hours later in Kigali where they took a van to their hostel and then to the orphanage.

When we pulled up in front of the warehouse, the shouting and singing we heard was overwhelming. That they could sing like that and greet us with open arms touched us to the depths, Webster said.

During treatments, Webster and Connolly noticed the older orphans were fearful at the prospect of supporting themselves after they left the orphanage.

About the only option available to them are begging, prostitution or selling drugs, Connolly said. We asked ourselves, 'How can we help them support themselves; how can we give them hope for a better future?'

In the meantime, the women found a nearby shack selling the colorful, wax-processed, batik fabrics iconic to Africa, leading them to the idea of teaching the boys in the orphanage to make quilts.

We brought fabric home with us and Winnie Wells got together a small group form the Red Rock Quilters who made sample quilts for us, Connolly said.

Wells said the project was a natural for the 40-member sewing group who donate many of their quits to charity each year.

One of our members was so touched she also donated a treadle sewing machine, Wells said. And to go with the quilts we made step-by-step notebooks and sent back two suitcases filled with cutting boards, scissors and threads.

Armed with all these supplies, Webster and Connolly returned to Rwanda the following year.

We hired a bilingual teacher to show the boys how they could make their own quilts. Once the quilts are complete, they send them to us and we sell them and send back all the money.

Revenue generated so far have paid for more supplies along with teachers, an accountant and also for a new pair of shoes for every one of the 450 children.

In addition, some of the money goes into a bank account for the boys who make the quilts and who will soon have to go out on their own.

The project got a huge boost from Sandy Brandvold, a friend of Webster’s, who arranged for the quilts to be the featured children’s charity at the one-day outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Ore., an event that draws 11,000 people from all over the world.

Inspired by Webster's enthusiasm for the project, Brandvold also developed a line of greeting cards and propriety business designs to complement the quits at the show.

We all went. Dottie spoke about the quilts at Presbyterian Church in Bend, Ore., and I spoke to one of the quilting groups, Brandvold said. We sold $10,000 worth in one day.

Some people can't afford a quilt of don't have the place to hang one, but everyone can do the greeting cards, Brandvod said. Processing for the cards was donated by Allegra Print and Imaging in Cottonwood. All of the money generated form the cards is dedicated to the girl's education fund and it's been so successful we now have nine girls in school.

The ultimate goal of the project is to eliminate the Sedona connection, giving the Rwandan boys and girls the independence of making, marketing and selling the quilts themselves without help form others.

In the meantime, three dozen of the colorful quilts will be on sale in Mexidona at 1670 State Route 89 A in West Sedona on Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and May 24th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bashas' is also donating space fro several quilts to be on display and for sale.

For those who wish to know the cost of sponsoring a individual girl’s education, a donation of $400 covers three semesters, books and a uniform.

More information on the project is available at www.troqp.com

Susan Johnson can be reached at by email

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SISTERS, OREGON ONE DAY OUTDOOR QUILT SHOW

July 12, 2008

Rwandan Orphan’s Quilts Chosen for Special Exhibit

19 Quilts from El Shaddai Orphanage, Kigali, Rwanda

Sisters, Oregon International One Day Outdoor Quilt Show

Ann Richardson, chairman of the quilt show invited us to be their special exhibit in July 2008 after hearing about our project. All proceeds of sales came back to us to further support the children of El Shaddai Orphanage and to grow and fund their quilting project.

Sisters is a very small main street town surrounded by beautiful snow capped, mountain peaks. But during this one day event, hundreds of quilts are hung by themes on the outside of buildings, clothes lines, and in and on commercial property. Over 11,000 people attend from all over the world. It was quite a site to see such beautiful creations decorating the whole town with entertainment, food and happy quilters!

This was an amazing opportunity handed to us after Sandy Brandvold created 10 minutes of a serendipitous meeting with Ann Richardson in Sisters, Oregon just before the 2007 quilt show began. Ann immediately took our project on as her own and from that moment forward was a full supporter of selling the quilts in order to raise $ for the children of El Shaddai Orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda.

We also had the opportunity to speak at The Presbyterian Church in Bend, Oregon and the Coffee House in Sisters. Both places were most kind to display the quilts. Due to their generosity and hosting we sold 5 other quilts that we had just received from Rwanda that were not registered for the show in Sisters. In addition to that, we sold our photographed, quilt, greeting cards. The sales proceeds will help send some of the orphans to regular school. The citizens of Sisters were so welcoming and supportive. Bunny Thompson wrote several articles in conjunction with the special poster Ann created featuring the boys quilting and was generously displayed all over the region. Ann Richardson also championed us for the extra talks as well as raising funds to pay for our shipping of quilts and the costs and printing of the special poster. All totaled we sold 18 of the 24 quilts shown in Oregon that week. It was magic and such a blessing for El Shaddai.

With some proceeds of these sales we hired a teacher from Kenya to go to Kigali and teach the children better quilting skills. The children who produced the quilts were paid for their work, as well as funds given to the Orphanage for food and utilities. More fabrics were bought, sewing machines repaired, and enthusiasm ensued from the terrific sales of their quilts in Sisters. We are excitedly awaiting a new shipment of quilts any day as a result of Sister’s ENTHUSIASTIC support. Sandy, Suzanne and Dottie say:

“THANK YOU ANN, AND SISTER’S OREGON!!”