Self-isolating elderly women sew clothes for kids in need

KASTAMONU

As millions of senior citizens in Turkey are confined to their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic, 15 women from a co-operative in the Black Sea province of Kastamonu are spending time at home by sewing dresses for children in need.

Women produce new dresses for children by restoring old dresses and unused fabrics.

The cooperative’s chair, Mihriban Tüfekci, said they want to use the time spent at home efficiently.

Explaining how they thought of ways to make use of their plentiful time, Tüfekci said that such an idea eventually came to mind and they got to work immediately.

“We wanted people to benefit. A large number of people say that they are bored at home. My advice is that they should not sit doing nothing at home,” she said.

“Let’s make use of this time efficiently and contribute to our country and people. When you do good things, you get happy. Let’s spend our time happily,” she noted.

She stressed that they used the materials in their home while preparing the clothes and showed the new sweaters, scarves and sweaters they knitted.

Emphasizing that they want to make children happy during the Ramadan Feast, Tüfekci said that they will present the products to children in need.

To protect the public from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Interior Ministry has restricted the movement of people older than 65, and mobilized support groups to help them during the self-isolation period.