Welcome to SewAid International!

What is SewAid?

SewAid is a program which offers selected women in very poor countries the opportunity to learn to sew. We send experienced sewing and craft teachers to teach local women to sew, as well as create a community sewing workshops equipped with the latest sewing machines and sewing equipment. We also teach some to become teachers to carry on regular community sewing courses in the the workshop. We also teach some local people to service and repair machines, so that our workshop is sustainable. We provide ongoing help and assistance with supplies of fabric, new machines when necessary, and any back-up that is required to keep the workshop running successfully.

We operate in 10 countries and some of our workshops have now been operating for 15 years.

The Program

The program is run by our founder Mr Tony Castley, and closely supported by his family businesses, Hobbysew Australia and Sewgroup International. Additionally most programs are run in conjunction with Rotary International as Tony is very involved with Rotary and has found that the Rotary connection is vital to the success of the programs in Third World countries.

The Sewaid program is primarily a teaching program and we rely heavily on our wonderful volunteer teachers who donate their time and expertise as well as fund their own travel to each program. To date we have helped 1,000s of women escape from poverty, by given them the skills and equipment where they can make a better life for themselves and their family.

Volunteer Teachers, New Projects

If you are a sewing or craft teacher or you believe you are capable of teaching these skills, you are welcome to sign up as one of our Volunteers. (See the Volunteer teachers page). We may not have any positions available at the time , but we will put you one our data base for future projects.

While our program is mainly focused on third world counties where the need is greatest, we also operate sewing workshops in Australia , particularly to teach refugees,

We are always open to hear about new project opportunities. Please contact us if you have a sewing project you would like us to consider. tonyc@sewgroup.com