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International Ambassadors
Ana
Brazil
My name is Ana Beatriz Amarante Passos Barbirato, I work as a lawyer, I live in Rio de Janeiro and I've been spending my time working on this beautiful project sewing dresses to poor girls. I joined this project because even though Rio de Janeiro and Brazil are very rich in real beautiful nature, there are a lot of social problems that have to be solved. The first step can be given by anyone of us who want to change the future of many children, with dignity and responsibility.
Lynne Co-Ambassador
Calgary, Alberta Canada
Way back, when I was around 10, and my mom was getting a "baby bonus" cheque every month from the federal government, she came up with this idea: she would hand over that money (a whooping $10 a month) to me and I could make that my "clothing allowance". She would pay for expensive things like coats and boots. So, it seemed to me that sewing my own clothes made economic sense. By the time I was in high school, I was making about 80% of my clothes! And I did it so quickly. I made my two graduation gowns--for Grade 12 and Grade 13; I made my own wedding dress; I made my husband a two-layered parka with a lot of hand embroidery. After my son was born, I made him all kinds of clothes and he just loved them.I tried quilting but found it was too back breaking and meticulous for me. (One lady mentioned to me that it seemed sort of ridiculous to cut up strips of material and sew them back together!) While not sewing, I went to Waterloo and got an M.A. in Regional Planning and Resource Development. As a planner, I worked for such entities as the Cities of Ottawa and Edmonton and Alberta Municipal Affairs. I had a degree in piano playing at the age of sixteen. My background in classical music means more to me the older I get; I belong to a piano club in Edmonton and have taught for about 35 years. I have traveled extensively--until COVID. I met Nada when I had taken my training to become an English teacher--my goal at that time being to travel and teach English along the way in retirement. I never even though of teaching in Calgary, but the economic downturn in 2008 changed that. Nada hired me shortly after I took the training--10 years ago. I am grateful for the personal relationships I made with my students. Teaching ESL has made me even more grateful for having been born in Canada and for having English as my native tongue.
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Susie Wilson
Northern British Columbia, Canada
Currently living in rural Prince George on beautiful Ness Lake and formerly having lived many years in the Fort St. John (Prespatou, Alaska Highway) area. British Columbia has had no representation with this well-known worldwide organization. So I’m changing that!
I have many connections with women who love to sew. My mother sewed out of necessity and I learned from her. I continue to enjoy sewing and quilting, especially during the long winter months although I do love being outdoors! I'm a retired teacher and taught some Clothing & Textiles courses. I love children! I'm teaching my grandchildren to sew and have multiple machines to work with several of them at once. They are getting an early start. I sewed clothes for my children and now sew with and for my grandchildren. Little girl's dresses are just (sew) much fun! When I heard about the Dress A Girl Around the World organization I felt it was a ministry and a cause that suited me well. Sharing the love of Christ in tangible ways resonates well with me. And getting together with three or four women in my sewing room to sew dresses is a wonderful way to spend a chilly day. I look forward to connecting with past friends and acquaintances and making new connections through a shared love for sewing and meeting needs around the world, one girl at a time.
Susie
Shari Knight
Rural Nova Scotia, Canada
I live in rural Nova Scotia Canada and I love to sew. There is something special about sewing dresses for
little girls – it’s the smiles that get you. I was introduced to #ProjectDressaGirl three years ago
@marisews on YouTube and it really touched my heart. I learned to sew when I was close to six years
old and have always loved everything about sewing. When I was a teen, I used to make some wild
looking outfits, and to be fair, it was in the 80’s! LOL. Maybe that’s why I love working with cloth as it
brings back so many fun filled and creative memories. Sewing is something many people take for
granted and it’s a bit of a lost art that I love to share with others on my YouTube channel @Practical
Stitches. I also enjoy running a small on-line business called Menzfabrics.ca. Sewing is good for the soul
and it intrigues me how there is always something new to learn. The sewing community is incredible,
filled with talent, inspiration, enthusiasm and heartwarming acts of kindness.
Nada Co-Ambassador
Calgary, Alberta Canada
Both my mom and my mom's mom were wonderful seamstresses, making clothes for their families, doing upholstery and sewing quilts. By Junior High I was getting into sewing clothes, and buying a Singer sewing machine was one of my first big investments after I left home. Like Lynne, I too made my own wedding dress, and when my children were young I made some of their clothes. Once they were older I started quilting until work and their activities took up most of my time. My other hobbies were swimming, hiking, traveling and gardening.I thought once I retired from teaching English that I would find the time to get back to quilting, but it took the recent pandemic to actually make that a reality. But one can only make so many quilts, so when Lynne approached me about Dress a Girl Around the World, it sounded like a great fit to use sewing as a means to help out girls in need. Have done several short-term mission trips to Japan, Kenya, and Peru, it is the children who steal my heart. If this is a small way to make a difference in the life of the girl, I am in.
Lyn
Cape Breton Island, Canada
Greetings, My name is Lyn Day and I presently am an owner of a very successful day care where children between the ages of 11 mo – 5 yoa learn: to socialize, life skills, the fundamental structure of education and play…we learn lots of play. 30 years ago I cared for trauma children that had been subjected to horrific actions at the hands of adults. Fostering was imperative to the healing and growth. Today working with kiddies is my main passion; seeing them flourish within arms of loving kindness and concern. I learned to sew at the age of 3, in which my mother and aunt were adamant that I was successful at this skill. Throughout the years sewing was a way of life especially raising children on my own where the means to purchase just was not available. Life has taught me very valuable lessons and a few are: 1. Standing firm for what is right in the face of adversity and calamity. 2. Firm but kind always breeds success. 3. Stay true to oneself, direction and desires. Upon discovering Dress A Girl Around The World, it hit me that I found something which resonated with my own person, past experiences, present lifestyle and goals. Sincerely, I am looking forward to be an Ambassador for this organization and putting smiles on girls faces…there is nothing brighter than a full smile on small child’s face.
Barbara
Italy
My name is Barbara and I live in a village near the mountains , 50 kilometres from Turin. I started sewing and crafting when I was little, worked as a tour leader while I was at Uni, qualified as an orthoptist , had three lovely sons, and very little time to follow my passion.
When my boys spread their wings I volunteered teaching Italian to foreigners and as a guide in a Felt Museum. I then became the workshop Coordinator, organising felting, weaving and paper making workshops for school children, families and people with physical and mental disabilities. My most heart felt project was making the Museum blind/visually impaired friendly. Now I pursue my old passion, sewing children and baby clothes and accessories and this is how I started reading about various charities sewing for children.
I started talking about this beautiful project to friends and local groups and we aim to combine teaching sewing with making lots of pretty dresses with all the care and love we will be able.
Ann
Kampala, Uganda
“Growing up in a small village in Uganda, my father passed away when I was two years old, my widowed mother had 9 children and I was the eighth born. She had little to take care of all of us as our needs were many. Even though she grew crops for our food and sold some for our education, we hardly had enough clothes and underwear. We had one dress each for daily use and one dress for the six of us daughters for Sunday. We would go to church in turns because we had one dress, which was too big for my size as my mom had bought it for my elder sisters' size, but I was always happy to put it on whenever it was my turn to go to church
I promised myself that when I grow up, I would make sure every little girl I know gets a little dress for Sunday and especially Christmas and underwear, and sanitary pads when I became a teenager! That's my brief background of why I founded Ushindi Girls Hope. I came to know about Dress a Girl through a friend on Facebook who told me there was a group on Facebook that does what I love to do so much. I started following Dress a Girl on Facebook and always checked on their page to copy ideas so that I would bless girls in my community, and whatever I would see on the page really touched my heart and I saw my vision live through Dress a Girl. I saw Rachel Eggum Cinader share a post on Facebook, I liked everything she shared and contacted her as my passion of what she does couldn't keep calm in me.
I am so glad to be the ambassador of Dress a Girl in Uganda, I am looking forward to using this platform to reach out to millions of Ugandan little girls, blessing them with little dresses. This is a dream come true for me🙏”
Wivi Co-Ambassador
Sweden
I’m a 62 year old retired grandmother. I have worked 30 years at the local hospital, most of the time as a children's nurse. I also have a horticultural education and I love garden design. I’m born in Copenhagen and when I was seven we moved to Halmstad, Sweden.
I have sewed clothes all my life and now I have a grandchild in UK who is 3.5 years old who love when "farmor" sew here a pink and purple dress. So I know how important it is for a girl to have a dress with pockets. My grandchild and I we each have a cozy cat called Charlie and every week they talk to each other over Skype. I have studied child psychology in my education to a children's nurse and I know how important it is to have a doll or some other precious thing that is only yours. I will speak warmly to all how important it is to send away a doll in every pocket because it can give the child a little comfort and someone to talk to.
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Danielle Co-Ambassador
Sweden
ENGLISH VERSION:
My name is Danielle Giovi Abrahamsson, and I move to Sweden in 2017, living in Gothemburg. Since I arrive here I wanted to get involved in a project, but could not find one that really moved me, until a friend sent me the link of “Dress a Girl around the World”. Most of my life I worked in the art market, but as I was in a new country I decided to pursue an old dream that is to become a seamstress. As soon as I saw the project I knew it was what I was looking for. I want to help these girls in need to be secure but also to bring joy and happiness to their lives. Let´s make a difference in little girl’s lives. If you want to help, even if you can’t sew, contact me!
SWEDISH VERSION:
Jag heter Danielle Giovi Abrahamsson, och jag flyttar till Sverige år 2017, bosatt i Gothemburg. Sedan jag kom hit ville jag bli involverad i ett projekt, men kunde inte hitta någon som verkligen rörde mig, tills en vän skickade mig länken "Klä en tjej runt om i världen". Största delen av mitt liv arbetade jag på konstmarknaden, men när jag var i ett nytt land bestämde jag mig för att driva en gammal dröm som ska bli en sömnstress. Så fort jag såg projektet visste jag att det var det jag letade efter. Jag vill hjälpa dessa tjejer att vara säkra, men också att ge glädje och lycka till sina liv. Låt oss göra skillnad i små tjejs liv. Om du vill hjälpa, även om du inte kan sy, kontakta mig!
Vanessa
Portugal
Email-dagatwportugal@gmail.com
Facebook-
https://www.facebook.com/dressagirlaroundtheworldportugal/?fref=ts
Blog-
http://dressagirlpt.blogspot.pt/p/como-costurar.html
My name is Vanessa Campos. I am Brazilian and I live in Cascais, in Portugal. I was introduced to Dress a Girl Around the World via Facebook and at the moment I saw a picture of Rachel delivering dresses in Africa I knew that this was something I would really like to become involved in. Sewing each dress imagining the girls' faces is priceless! I hope to help girls to build confidence and improve their self esteem, but above all I am happy making the dresses to cover and protect their little bodies. Making some difference in their lives somehow even being a little is absolutely gratifying.
As an international partner I want to spread the idea of the Project and keep making dresses to send to the girls in need.
International Ambassadors
Kikas
Macau
Email-
dressagirlaroundtheworldmacau@gmail.com
Facebook-
https://www.facebook.com/groups/718730981633919/
I am Portuguese, born in Mozambique and currently living in Macau. I have always loved arts and crafts, but in the recent past this hobby started to play a more serious role in my life. I had a dream that one day I would volunteer around the world. I have been involved in several campaigns to help some countries in need like Mozambique and Timor. I also make monthly donations to various associations in Macau and Portugal because I like to help people in need. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Two years ago I came across the story of a 99 year-old lady who sews a dress per day for children in Africa. This touched my heart. When I discovered the website “Dressing A Girl around the world” I knew right then that was something that I wanted to do and gave me the idea of bringing the project to Macau. I want to give a special thanks to Vanessa Campos from Dress a Girl Around the World– Portugal, for giving me precious advice and for making me believe that I could implement the project in Macau. What I wish is for every little girl to feel special and loved when she receives a new dress.
Katty
Norway
I heard about Dress a girl around the world some years ago, from an inspiring woman in Canada. She loved sewing and was involved in a sewing group connected to Dress a girl.
The idea of contributing to young girls getting a dress to wear was humbling and inspiring. I started making dresses and gradually more eager sewers have joined me in this encouraging project. And this is how Dress a girl Norway was established. We are only a small group but we enjoy sewing and making dresses when we have time and the material available.
Jacqui
United Kingdom
I was a Textiles teacher for over 30 years, taking early retirement last year. I was Head of Technology and Head of Years 10 & 11 at a local girl’s independent school. I have four grown up children – three girls and a boy, and a grandson born in May 2013. I became involved with an educational charity in Uganda several years ago; I introduced this charity to my school and started fundraising events. The girls at my school were very privileged, and I wanted them to realize that not all children were in the same position. When I left they gave me a large donation to the charity as a leaving present, so I know that the photos and stories I told made an impression on them. In fact they still contact me to ask if they can work out in Uganda or support us in some way whilst they are at university. I have now visited Uganda several times, teaching Textiles (tailoring) to children and teachers in the orphanages and schools we support. I came across Dress a Girl via a Textiles teacher group on Facebook, and was immediately drawn to it as it seemed to combine all my interests. I have been making patterns, collecting fabric and sewing some dresses. We took out some of the dresses to Uganda and the looks on the faces of the girls there showed me that this is something I would really like to become involved in, all girls deserve pretty dresses. Next time I go out I will take out the pattern and teach groups in Jinja how to make these dresses so that they can make the dresses for themselves and others. Seeing the faces of these girls when they have made something themselves is so rewarding, being able to support themselves is so important. This is an amazing charity, such a good idea, I am looking forward to making, collecting and delivering dresses.
Joan
United Kingdom
Email
joanedwardspc@gmail.com
I am a recent retiree, married with 3 children, 2 step children, 11 grandchildren and 2
great grandchildren.
I used to enjoy sewing when my children were young but as they grew and I went off to
university and then on to a career it wasn’t something I pursued anymore. When the
UK went into lockdown during the COVID pandemic I was asked to coordinate a sewing
group making scrubs, I spent lots of time collecting material, collecting finished scrubs
and distributing them but never did find the time to actually make any myself, in fact one
lady found somebody to service my sewing machine and then borrowed it to make
scrubs so I didn’t even have a sewing machine.
In the summer of 2024, a lady approached me to ask if I would take over a church
service project that somebody had taken on and then abandoned. I was presented with
the name of the organization, Dress A Girl Around the World and a carrier bag of dress
pieces, no instructions and no details of the organization.
I read up on the organization and was immediately excited by the whole project, so I
started polishing up on my very rusty sewing skills, made my first dress and set about
finding a few friends to help.
In our first year between 7 of us we managed to make around 120 dresses and some
shorts and took donations of around 200 pairs of knickers. We are now a group of
around 10 and we enjoy making the clothes and sharing tips and the odd meet-up with
cake.
Keene
Okinawa and Japan
I recently retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service. My passion is sewing and I have sewn for charity for various organizations, that is what brought me to the Dress A Girl website. Once I read the mission of dressing every girl around the world, I new that was something I wanted to do. I contacted the Rep in my state at the time and she provided me with more information. From there I took pillowcase donations from friends and started making dresses and sending them. Since then I have moved to Japan, and looked for a representative here to get involved and could not find one. My goal as the representative for Japan is to bring awareness to this country and continue getting donations and making dresses. I would like to send at least 100 dresses or more this year.
Karen
New Zealand
Email-
wilson302@xtra.co.nz
Facebook-
https://www.facebook.com/dressagirlaroundtheworldnz?ref=tn_tnmn
My name is Karen Wilson and I was born and bred in Invercargill, the southern most city of New Zealand. I have two grown up children, Kylie & Chris and two beautiful Granddaughters, Indie and Harper. I have always liked to sew, from an early age my Mum Carol taught me to sew and we have always been a creative family. So much so I ran my own Scrapbooking Store, Inkspiration. Upon closing my store three years ago, I found I had a little more time on my hands. One day I was web searching for a pattern for a cute dress to sew for my granddaughters. I stumbled across the “Dress A Girl” website and I was instantly interested. Fast forward two years and we have donated over 600 dresses for this fabulous cause. We are a small but growing group here in New Zealand.
I try to donate these dresses to areas close to us but we have donated to the following: Fiji (Homes of Hope), Uganda (Fountain of Peace Foundation), Brazil (Street Children), Cambodia (Street Children), Vanuatu, Vietnam (Christina Noble Foundation), Operation Christmas Box. I love to help people and if you are like-minded please get in touch with me.
Susana
Switzerland
Email-
dressagirlaroundtheworldsuisse@gmail.com
Facebook-
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DressaGirlAroundtheWorldSuisse
My name is Susana and I live in Geneva. I knew this lovely project through Vanessa Campos in Portugal where I'm a volunteer. Me and two other friends, Eliana and Filipa, who have a shared love for sewing, immediately thought that we had to embrace and share this project were in Switzerland.
We want to carry this positive energy farther. The smile in these children's faces will make an important difference in their lives and we want to make part of this movement of love, and therefore helping those who need it most. A special thanks to Dress a Girl Around the World that stands for this cause and we hope to help you flourish this wonderful project.
Eliana Trindade, Filipa Carvalho and Susana Matos
Evelyne
France
I’m Evelyne Maret and I’m living in France, in a small town named Saint-Genest-Malifaux, near Saint-Etienne, with my farmer companion.
It was in Switzerland, a few years ago, that I discovered the association with Susana Matos. It was love at first sight, between my passion for sewing and the humanitarian work!
It is with great pleasure that I want to develop this project in the region where I live (in France) and if possible, to spread it on to other people’s hearts! I am very happy to be part of this Wonderful project, to sew new dresses for little girls in need.
Lovely regards to all!
French-
Bonjour,
Je m’appelle Evelyne Maret et je vis en France dans un bourg qui se nomme Saint-Genest-Malifaux, près de la ville de Saint-Etienne, avec mon compagnon qui est agriculteur. C’est en Suisse avec Suzana Matos que j’ai découvert il y a quelques années l’association. Ce fut le coup de foudre immédiat, entre ma passion de la couture et celle de l’humanitaire !
Aujourd’hui j’ai à cœur de faire découvrir cette œuvre dans la région où je vis ( la France) et si possible de la propager dans le cœur de plusieurs ! Je me réjouis beaucoup de faire partie de ce magnifique réseau d’entraide pour des fillettes qui méritent qu’on leurs cousent de jolies robes !
Salutations à tous,
Evelyne Maret