At 69, Marlene Is a Volunteer and Teaches the Art of Sewing Rag Dolls

Dona Marlene grew up watching her grandmother sew dolls with which her grandchildren couldplay. She became an adult, but that memory was registered in her heart. When taking care of a child for the first time, she recalled the memory and decided to do the same thing.

Today, Marlene Barbosa is 69 years old and has been an artisan for 40 years. Her first works were hair accessories. Shortly thereafter, when encouraged by people close to her, she decided to dedicate herself exclusively to making the dolls. “My mother saw me making the dolls and asked me why I didn't do it for sale. My colleagues also saw the toys at my house and started to order them”, she says.

In 2014, the opportunity arose for Marlene to share her love of crafts with others. Right next to her studio, Casa de Boneca, in the city of Itabuna, Bahia, a branch of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was opened, and they instituted Casa de Lió (Lio’s House), which had the objective of training people in the community with free art courses.

Marlene was the project's first volunteer teacher. In the first two classes, only one student was enrolled, but it didn't take long for other interested people to show up, and since then, she has taught more than 100 people how to sew dolls.

Full Delivery

When asked what it means to be a volunteer, there was no shortage of words to describe it. “First, I feel really good doing crafts. Second, I see people who learn from me very happy. I've had students who were depressed, and in the first two classes, they wanted to give up because they were sad; they felt incapable, but I insisted and managed to teach. After that, one of them thanked me because she said that the doctor even reduced her medication”, points out Marlene.

“Another student told me that in her childhood, she didn't have toys, and that making dolls today is an accomplishment for her. There are still students who are already selling the dolls, and I feel very good about that. Every human being should be a volunteer. When you're in the classroom and you can't read anything, but then you know the letters, the teacher feels fulfilled, right? Same thing in handicrafts: at first, the student does not know how to cut fabric, and then he already knows how to make a flower [or] doll. It's very good!” she adds.

With the onset of the pandemic, the activities of Casa de Lió were suspended, and in recent months, the physical structure of the place has been undergoing a renovation. In this period of more than a year, Marlene says she misses the old routine. “I really miss being in the classroom with [students]. During this time, I continued making crafts to occupy myself and learned different things. I keep in touch with students in WhatsApp groups. We always talk, and sometimes they ask me for tips. I teach with the greatest pleasure! I want to give them everything I know how to do.”

Marlene is already vaccinated against COVID-19, and considering her age group, she believes most students are, too. She is counting the days to be able to return to Casa de Lió. “I think I will come back with great courage if everyone has already been vaccinated. I'll be back very happy because the pandemic has gone away and because we're going to meet”, she believes.

Casa de Lió

The project is located in the neighborhood of Fátima, in Itabuna, and one of the objectives is to train students to learn new skills that enable them to increase their family income. During this period, more than 2,000 students took courses in crafts, guitar, and other skills like hairdressing and manicure. Classes are taught by dozens of volunteer teachers. The expectation is that the project will return to activities soon with the reopening of the renovated space.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site