"Sewing was our lifeline under the Taliban - now we're using it for poorly babies here"

The soft, blue incubator cover, which will help premature babies at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria, is almost complete.

It’s the fifth of a batch of 12 covers for the hospital.

Its creator is Aziza, an Afghan mum and refugee, who first set foot in Lancashire around a year ago.

“I was thinking about the children, to protect their eyes," she explains, via an interpreter.

Pointing to a soft, pink cover, she adds: “I think the colours are very important – I feel it should be in these colours, to help the children.”

Around a dozen or so Afghan women gather once a week within the colourful walls of this ordinary building in Weeton, Fylde. They paint, sew and chat while sharing tea and biscuits, thanks to Lancashire County Council’s Refugee Integration Team and Community Interest Company Roots to Branches.

The women and their families are being supported by a Government resettlement programme for people who worked alongside the British Army during operations in Afghanistan.

Originally of Paktia in Afghanistan, Aziza, 49, explains how she took to sewing for the first time when the Taliban came to power.

Finding herself suddenly powerless and confined to her home overnight due to the dangers, Aziza taught herself sewing to keep herself occupied. In time, it became almost a form of therapy, as for many of those around her.

“The first time when the Taliban took over, I taught myself sewing," she says. "When they returned, I took it up again, as it was like therapy for me.”

Another of the refugees, also named Aziza, created the pink one, and is clearly thrilled with the fact that her talents are helping babies.

She said:  "I have been coming here for a year.  I am enjoying all the activities like embroidery, sewing and drawing.

"It's helping me to relax and take my mind off the problems back home as there were lots of problems in Afghanistan, so it's much safer here."

Their interpreter, Shogofa, is a bilingual Afghan native and graduate in economics, banking and finance who fled Afghanistan three years ago.

The 27-year-old said: “Life had been getting better for women, but then three years ago, all that disappeared. Personally, I was at work, at the Ministry of Energy and Water, when someone came in and said, the Taliban is coming  - go home. I didn’t want to as I was at work, but they said, don’t think about work, just go home before they take over.

“When I came out of the office, everyone was running and drivers couldn’t take women in case the Taliban asked them why – it was very scary.”

Confined to their homes, some women studied at home in secret, while others found solace in sewing or crafts to keep themselves occupied. 

“Women were not able to go outside, or work, so they were doing sewing, or something they could do at home," she adds. "Some were hiding and studying in the basement of their homes."

Thanks to a contact who worked as a journalist, Shogofa managed to get a flight out of Kabul in August 2021. Now she works for the UK Ministry of Defence as an interpreter.

Viktoriia Murych, Community Development Coordinator at Lancashire County Council, herself a Ukrainian refugee, is busy making tea and bringing biscuits to the women.

She said this project has been important in helping the women integrate into the local community.

"I would like them to feel more involved and more visible and I'm happy and honoured to be part of this.

"The women are very grateful and would like to contribute, to do something good for other people, it's just amazing.

"Whatever you do with your hands it's very therapeutic, that's why we try to have art workshops or something to do by hand here. It's good for the hospital but also the people who do it."

Mary Sharples, Refugee Resettlement Commissioner at Lancashire County Council, highlights how the incubator covers are very much appreciated by grateful staff and families at the hospital.

She said: “So far, we are using the fabric for 12 incubator covers which the group will be making over the next few weeks and months.

“I've delivered one of them to check the size as they are made to measure – it fits perfectly and looks beautiful. This new design also has flaps that can be lifted up so that parents can look at their little one without disturbing their sleep. The women's donation is very much appreciated."

Elaine Mcinally, Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), also expressed her gratitude.

She said: "I would just like to say, on behalf of all my colleagues and parents, how truly grateful we are for these donations. The Special Care Baby Unit at Furness General Hospital houses vulnerable and premature babies and as such it should be somewhere families also experience happy memory-making within a family-focused environment.

"These covers add a wonderful touch of colour to the setting and the fact that they're provided voluntarily by these women who simply want to give back is truly heart-warming. Thank you so much to these volunteers for reaching out."

You can watch a video about it here:  (5) Afghan Refugees help premature babies | Lancashire County Council - YouTube