A Seamstress in Brazil Finds Empowerment in Community

By Shae Davidson

Marla owned a workshop in southern São Paulo where she crafted children’s clothes, felt toys, and sensory books. She loved the creativity of sewing, and her work provided a steady income to support her two children. At the end of 2021, however, she discovered a lump in her breast. Marla closed her studio when she began chemotherapy. Despite the love she had for her work, she found it difficult to return to sewing after she finished her treatments.

Worried about her difficulties, Marla decided to reach out to the Group for the Assistance of the Elderly, Children, and Adolescents (GAIA) after hearing about the agency’s sewing courses. Classmates warmly welcomed her, and her creativity and love of sewing returned as she met with them to learn about new techniques.

BGR partner GAIA strives to combat socioeconomic inequality by creating a cooperative environment where women can share skills and inspiration. The classes GAIA offers allows participants to express their personal creativity while learning new techniques and exploring ways to market their crafts to support their families. GAIA makes a concerted effort to reach women who have experienced violence or who are single mothers. The group describes its guiding philosophy as “Art as female empowerment, and production as income generation,” and sees fabric arts as a path for exploring how personal expression and social engagement complement one another.

Marla’s skills improved as she worked with her new friends. She started making doll clothes from scraps of fabric at the center. Her experiments with new designs inspired her to create her own line of dolls. Marla found a market in classrooms that work with GAIA and began working to sell dolls to other schools and day-care centers around São Paulo. In order to build her business, she successfully applied to join a government program offering support to self-employed professionals.

Marla sees her return to sewing as another step in her fight against cancer. “This return has been completely wonderful to me,” she explained to a GAIA staff member, adding that the friends who supported her as she began learning new skills and exploring new designs are now part of her family.

BGR Board member Shae Davidson completed a Ph.D. in U.S. History at Ohio University, with research exploring the importance of inclusive community partnerships in building food systems. His past experience includes serving as a museum director, a humanities instructor, and a researcher. Shae currently works at a nonprofit that supports survivors of gender-based violence.