Sewing for better health in Ainaro

AN alternative fundraising idea is stitching together some assistance for people in Timor-Leste.

Therese O’Loughlin is offering cheap sewing repairs at St Patrick’s Hall on the first three Thursdays of each month to raise funds for the Ballarat Friends of Ainaro Health Group.

“In the last few years, fundraisers have become more challenging, and we haven’t had a successful one this year,” she said.

“People don’t tend to sew so much anymore, but I’m retired now, and I can sew. I thought I would start a little sewing repairs initiative and raise some money for Timor.

“There’s also an earth care side to it, limiting the amount of clothing people throw away, and the wastage.

“At St Patrick’s Hall, they were really supportive, and offered me the use of a room.”

Ms O’Loughlin can fix basic things like buttons, seams, hems, and holes, and in recent weeks, she’s been able to repair a zip, patch jeans, and mend work shirts.

She has also attracted a little team of volunteers who have been happy to help the cause.

“I’ve been to Timor-Leste a couple of times,” Ms O’Loughlin said. “They’re a developing country in need of help and resources.

“They’re such lovely people over there who really appreciate what you do. A little bit of money in Timor-Leste goes a mighty long way.”

The Ballarat Friends of Ainaro Health Group is a sub-organisation of a friendship agreement signed in 2003.

The group funds and provides essential supplies and technologies for hospitals, clinics, and maternal child health professionals, and helps give scholarships to young Timorese people wanting to study a health science.

Visit the Therese’s Sewing Repairs Facebook page for updates on when the pop-up is open, and to contact Ms O’Loughlin.