From the beginning, Lutheran World Relief has believed in the power of a needle and thread to change the world.
When the occupations and bombings of World War II created extreme hardships for families in Europe, Lutheran women in the United States gathered their fabric scraps and began stitching quilts to keep these neighbors warm.
Over time, as the scope of our mission grew, the gift of learning to sew has become a regular part of our programs that strengthen livelihoods in marginalized communities.
Thanks to your compassion, women around the world have received hands-on training, sewing machines, and the business skills they need to clothe their families, earn a living and build confidence and independence.
Today, whether you’re a quilter in Nebraska or a tailor in Nepal, sewing is a thread of hope that ties us together through Lutheran World Relief.
Sewing at St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C., 1965. (ELCA Archives image)
Lutheran World Relief’s Quilt & Kit Ministry has been going strong since 1945. To date, more than 28 million quilts have been distributed to neighbors in need around the world.
Nasrin Hasmi is stitching together a new life for herself and her daughter in rural Nepal after fleeing from an abusive marriage. She says, “I kept hoping that he’d get back on track someday, but then I thought, I can only take care of my daughter if I am alive.”
With your support, she enrolled in a training course that taught her how to sew and run a business. Sewing is her pathway to financial independence — and her goal is to ensure her daughter has the opportunities and resources to achieve her potential as she grows up.
Charlotte Kierkegaard, 94, began quilting in the 1960s and has been a cornerstone of the quilting group at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Osage, Iowa, for more than two decades. Her family estimates that she has made more than 4,000 quilts for Lutheran World Relief.
“I think about how these go to so many places people will never travel to,” she says. “How some people don’t have anything else.”
Hary Silva, who is from Venezuela, was hit by a bus in 2013. Her country’s economic crisis made it impossible for her to get the care she needed to fully recover. After several years of pain and limited mobility, she immigrated to Peru in search of a better life.
Your support met her there, providing information about accessing healthcare and applying for citizenship. You also provided the job skills training she needed to start a business selling handmade clothing and accessories to make a living. She says, “Thanks to the support they have provided, I was able to make my dream come true.”
Pat Colson is a long-time quilter with Trinity Lutheran Church in Park Forest, Illinois. Her husband Steve was so inspired by her ministry that he asked her to teach him, and they’ve been making quilt tops together now for about a decade. Even after retiring to Florida a few years ago, they continue to send the tops back to Park Forest and bring home more fabric when they visit.
“I know our quilt tops are not quilt show material, pun intended, but that’s not the point," Steve says. “We’re part of making warm, comfortable and sturdy quilts that will help someone.”
Maysoun Habib participated in a Lutheran World Relief program designed to improve the economic condition of Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese women and youth living through Lebanon’s economic crisis, which began in 2019.
Through training, Maysoun learned how to sew and mend, start and manage a small business, and market her products.
Thank you for bringing hope to your neighbors around the world through quilts, kits and the gift of sewing!