Five hundred + donated sewing machines whirring in new Kiwi homes

27 November 2024

Esmee Rowden sewing accessories spare room

In five years Esmee Rowden and her family have sourced, serviced and sent 524 donated sewing machines to former refugees settling across the country.

In a corner of a retirement village in Palmerston North, life is anything but quiet for Esmee, a former economics school teacher and her husband Ian, a former civil engineer. In their hallway several machines await distribution and in their spare bedroom fabric rolls lean against a wall alongside well organised drawers full of sewing items. They have just three machines left and now looking for more donations.

The start of the Sewing Machine Drive

“We’ve been volunteering with New Zealand Red Cross helping former refugees to settle since 2016. We both love the role – getting to know a lot of wonderful people who you wouldn’t normally meet.”

Esmee Rowden

“Our third family arrived from Malaysia in 2018 – Shenanas and Mohammad Norbasha with their teenage daughter and son. I noticed when we helped with the secondary school enrolment, their daughter’s uniform was too big for her. I offered to alter the clothes but Shennanas said she would do it. When I visited the following day, she had done an immaculate job - all by hand. I spontaneously blurted out ‘would you like a sewing machine?’ Her face lit up with a huge beaming smile," says Esmee.

Esmee then had to find a sewing machine – quickly! Her daughter Thalia, an active user of social media, posted the request online. “Within five minutes we got three machines – by the end of the day we had 70 offered! We picked up our first donation from Wellington. It was brand new and still in its box!” she recalls.

Esmee, Ian and Thalia realised many other families would make good use of a sewing machine. “Our daughters, cousins, nieces, friends, friends of friends - and many more people we’ve found through social media all contribute in some way to the project. People are amazing helping us source and distribute the machines across the country. Once a huge double-sided truck pulled up outside our village with a few little machines sitting in the middle for us,” says Esmee.

Supporting people into employment

Benedicte Bopenda Musala, 22, was quick to put her donated sewing machine to use – designing and making clothes. In August 2022, she had almost completed a fashion design degree at ISAM University of Arts in Kinshasa, Democratic of Congo when she left for New Zealand with her brother on a long-awaited family reunification visa. “It was very hard to start with, being away from my mother and meeting and living with my dad for the first time in my life. The only English I knew was ‘Hi’ and ‘Good morning'."

In Palmerston North, she studied hard and gained her New Zealand Certificate in English Language, Level 2 at the English Teaching College. She also found a part-time cleaning job for a local school. With improved language skills, her sewing experience, and her sewing machine, she enrolled and gained her NZ Certificate in Fashion Design Level 4 at the Design School. She’s just graduated, complete with a fine portfolio of fashion clothes, new sewing skills and her new brand logo ‘Bemus’.

Benedicte Bopenda Musala

With support from the local New Zealand Red Cross’ Pathways to Employment team, Benedicte has also found work at Manawatu Knitting Mills. “I’m so happy. I am close to my chosen career. I can now defend myself outside. I’ve got English and I can be independent. Benedicte has plans for the future too. “I want to open my own fashion design business, mixing my culture and New Zealand culture in my designs – and to teach people about sewing. I also want to bring my mother here so she can help – she sacrificed a lot for me.”

Esmee works with Red Cross’ settlement services to distribute the donated machines – which are all checked and serviced. “We ask people to deliver their donation to our depots in Auckland, Palmerston North, or Christchurch). If they can’t, I ask our relatives or friends to assist. No one has ever turned me down!.” Esmee also distributes the sewing machines to other organisations who support refugee background communities, including Refugees as Survivors in Auckland and their team of volunteers.
When a machine is requested, Esmee gathers together a bag full of fabric and sewing accessories which is sent with each sewing machine.

Dressmakers making connections through refugee support volunteering

The Sewing Machine Drive has taken on a life of its own. Katiza Abdul Shukur arrived from Malaysia with her mother and nine-year-old daughter two years ago with very little. “I was so happy to get the sewing machine. I didn’t know how to sew before, but I taught myself by watching YouTube. It’s a very nice machine. I’ve made dresses for myself and my daughter and now I’d like to make another dress for my daughter and a sari for my mother.”

Two women standing next a sewing machine

Refugee support volunteers Esmee Rowden and Katiz Abdul Shukur

Katiza like Esmee, is a New Zealand Red Cross refugee support volunteer, helping new New Zealanders to settle well. “I like to help other people, as I’ve suffered a lot myself. I’ve helped three families so far and I want to do more.” In the short time she’s been in Palmerston, Katiza has already completed her foundation course in English, passed her driving test and has volunteered at a rest home. She speaks Rohingya, Malay and Hindi – a massive bonus for Red Cross and new former refugee families from Asia arriving with little English language. The two volunteers met recently for the first time, and they’ve already made a date for Katiza to collect some spare material so she can continue her sewing.