No matter the language, a room full of women sewing has a lovely hum. We like to create, talk about food and children and…more importantly…laugh at our mistakes. Such was the case the last week of October on the island of La Gonave, Haiti. Laura Martin, of Ties That Matter, and Sandy Chai, of Beatitudes, Inc, had gathered to work with women to learn and to work as a group to better the lives of themselves and their families.

With a huge duffle bag of donated ties, scissors, thread and imagination they created Haitian dolls in lovely silk dresses. Each with a personality of their own, sewers and dolls alike, the room was filled with joy and learning. Heads tied in iconic silk scarves the dolls lacked only a big basket of plantains or mangos to be real.

The women listened and learned. They know all too well that their options are limited and they have children to raise and educate. It is humbling to see what women will do to give their children the basic necessities of life, especially when one comes from a nation that takes much of that for granted. And, there was no doubt in this room that this day represented the possibility that hard work and cooperation could make a difference.

It is easy to stand at a distance and think that all people can have what you have if they work hard enough. It is harder to stand in a room full of women and realize that they would do anything to have a better life. But, it is an easy way to make friends for whom you would do anything just to help them realize their dreams.

See for youself!