Patch 092

PATCH MAKER: Susanna
LOCATION: Bury St Edmunds

MESSAGE:My patch depicts A Mozambican woman. She is laden with goods to sell at the market and water. She is hopeful that today she will make enough to feed her family. 

Like all the women at the market she is clothed in her Capulana, a bright colored cloth patterned differently but joining the strong women of Mozambique together. Worn daily and on high days and holidays with great pride, capulanas provide carriers and comfort for babies, shelter from the sun, warmth from the cold and  ability to bundle up and carry produce from the fields.

When cyclone Idyi hit in 2018 Capulanas were one of the items collected in the south of the country and sent to the Sophia region. Families lost everything in the storm, washed away in rain and wind. Many living in houses made of reeds, the seeds and crops they had sown washed away. In a country where the majority of people live below the poverty line they are some most affected by climate change.

The beautiful women of Mozambique are resilient,strong and courageous, full of hope, but they are often voiceless to respond. For 3 years I had the privilege to live and work in Mozambique. Working with women to help them improve livelihoods. I’m standing with my Mozambican sisters that their voice will be heard and our actions and attitudes will change to bring lasting hope for the future of Africa.