Portrait of a Nation: The Dubai resident whose charity is made to measure

By using her expert stitching skills as a retired tailor, Dubai resident Barbara Evans hopes to turn 'rags' into beautiful clothing for impoverished children.

Barbara Evans converts old bedsheets, blankets and pillowcases into beautiful clothes and items for impoverished children around the world. Antonie Robertson / The National

Barbara Evans has woven her stitching skills into a noble mission – collect old blankets and sheets, and turn them into beautiful clothing for poor children.

DUBAI // Few things give Barbara Evans more pleasure than a pile of old bedsheets, blankets and pillowcases.

By using her expert stitching skills, she is able to convert them into beautiful clothes and items for poor children around the world as part of a project she started called Rags to Riches.

In the 18 months since she began the project, she has managed to stitch 215 hooded fleeces, 579 dresses, 314 shirts and pairs of shorts, 125 fitted baby bedsheets and hundreds of pairs of gloves.

The clothes are then shipped out to poor children in countries such as Syria, India, Nepal, Thailand, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia and Mongolia.

On average, Mrs Evans, 64, makes five items of clothing a day.

“I keep them simple because lots of these children don’t have washing machines,” she said. “They wash by hand and put outside to dry. So I make it less complicated, yet as pretty as possible.”

She moved to Dubai in 2011 after living in Egypt for 15 years. She lives with her husband, son and his family.

“We love the life in Dubai. People are so warm here. Everyone is always smiling and caring here,” said Mrs Evans, who is from Chester in north-west England.

She came up with the idea for Rags to Riches after reading an article about a 99-year-old American woman who sews dresses to donate to the poor.

“I was not able stop thinking about this amazing woman. She is 99, yet she is doing the most purposeful and satisfying job,” Mrs Evans said. “Then I decided, let me try the same thing.”

Since then there has been no looking back. She wrote to her community’s Facebook page to ask for old, unneeded blankets or fabrics.

“The response was amazing, and ever since, I have been converting this unwanted stuff into dresses for children,” said Mrs Evans, who lives in The Greens Community.

Although the work is repetitive, Mrs Evans insists she does not get bored.

“How can I get bored when I know that these dresses will make so many children happy?” she said.

She recently went on a family holiday to the Seychelles and took some of the clothing with her. While she was there, she visited an orphanage.

“One 13-year-old girl there picked up one of the dresses and held it tight next to her heart,” said Mrs Evans. “She started crying because she never had a new dress in her life.”

Transporting the items to needy children is a challenge for Mrs Evans, who said she struggled with logistics and mostly sent the items through friends.

“That’s when I started my Facebook page, so that I could reach people as much as possible and find directions how to send these dresses to deserving children,” she said.

Mrs Evans is also seeking volunteers to help her sewing efforts.

“Then we would be able to reach more children, make them warm and put new dresses in their bags.”

Dubai has been key to the success of the project, she said.

“I would never have got the same kind of support and response in my native country. Dubai is a very passionate city.

“In Dubai nationality means nothing. Regardless who you are, people support each other’s cause. We all live side by side together. That’s what keeps this city going.”

For more information, visit Mrs Evans’ Facebook page at Rags to Riches Dubai or email [e-mail].