The Laura Raqaa Sew Initiative in a not for profit Project. I started and financed the sew initiative for two reasons. First I needed to find a way to pay the women in need of a job an income and secondly to keep Syrian design, folklore, and embroidery going forward during these dark Syrian days. Rama and Zuhoor, their mother, our drawer (a school teacher) and seamstresses all benefit from this project which began in 2021, we have one salaried supervisor and she is also my photographer and source person, Um Usamah. We communicate and share images, my illustrations and designs, and color charts over WhatsApp and phone calls. The top two embroidery women are only twenty years old.

Why I selected Raqaa for my Sew Initiative

Raqaa is a historical (Abbasid Era) Syrian city on the banks of the Euphrates River. In 2014 ISIS took the city for their capital and everyone suffered. They were finally kicked out in 2017 by the USAllied forces and the French with the help of Syrian men and brave women fighters. But the city was so badly air bombed by the Allies, it left Raqaa 80% completely destroyed and no one is helping the survivors rebuild.