Women create hope with ‘Little Dresses for Africa’

This group with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sewing for their project, Little Dresses for Africa. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – Thirty women with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are helping the Little Dresses for Africa organization to give a glimmer of hope to girls throughout that continent.

Little Dresses for Africa “wishes to provide relief to vulnerable children throughout the continent of Africa and beyond,” Karen Denzine said. Denzine serves as Public Affairs Specialist for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2nd Ward.

The organization’s motto is “We’re not just sending dresses — we’re sending Hope.”

The women from Madison and Huntsville joined together to create 60 dresses in one evening for young African girls. The finished dresses now are ready to be shipped. The organization sends the donated dresses to missions teams, mails them directly to verified communities and takes them personally with their short-term teams.

“A few of the women were previously skilled with needle and thread. However, the sewing skill level of the ladies wasn’t nearly as important as the desire to serve,” Denzine said.

Kaye Barker of Madison said, “It was wonderful to be involved in a hands-on project that benefited little girls. Mixing and matching of fabrics to create individually unique dresses was fun and offered the women the chance to be creative while serving.”

Five generous women in the group donated the fabric, ribbons and accessories to make the 60 dresses for three- to eight-year-old girls. After the initial night of sewing, many women took the dresses home to add the final buttons and bows.

“The women from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hope to find a new project soon to challenge their skills and to benefit the community,” Denzine said.

Founded in 2008, Little Dresses for Africa is a registered non-profit 501(c)3 Christian organization. Volunteers from all over the world make little dresses out of pillowcases or other simple patterns.

Because of the widespread AIDS pandemic and other disease, little girls are often left to be the primary care givers of their young siblings.

For more information, visit littledressesforafrica.org.