Over 30,000 tabs off the tops of aluminum cans were laid out in the cultural hall of a meetinghouse in Norman, Oklahoma, in the Oklahoma City area. Each one representing a larger effort to bring hope to women halfway around the world.
Members of several stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Oklahoma City metro area gathered at the Norman Oklahoma Stake Center for a service opportunity to support the Sewing Hope Foundation in Uganda. This service project was led by Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, a Catholic nun, teacher and mentor from Uganda. She works with the Sewing Hope Foundation, an organization founded by Oklahoma attorney Reggie Whitten that teaches and uplifts women affected by war and its lasting societal effects.
Through the foundation, Sister Rosemary helps women rebuild their lives by teaching practical skills. One of the most impactful tools she uses is a simple sewing machine. Women not only learn how to sew and create clothing but also how to piece their lives back together.
“I have witnessed these young women who came to me in shame, with no hope and with their heads down because they knew nothing else could be done for them, with the idea of mending their brokenness and sewing hope together with them,” said Sister Rosemary.
Many of the women create clothing and accessories using pop tabs that transform discarded materials into meaningful pieces. Each bag or piece of clothing requires hundreds of pop tabs and up to two weeks to complete. Sister Rosemary gathers the finished items in Uganda and brings them to America to be sold, providing an income and stability for the women who make them.
On March 8, the Norman Oklahoma Stake was able to contribute to that effort during a large-scale service event. After Sister Rosemary gave a brief message, attendees were ushered into the cultural hall, where they began removing tabs from donated can lids.
A local beverage plant in Oklahoma City donated sleeves of brand-new can lids for the project. Volunteers pop the tabs off thousands of lids in just one hour.
Following the service project, Sister Rosemary spoke with youth, missionaries and other members, offering advice and encouragement.
“Sister Rosemary told us to be strong and courageous,” said Addison Nabors, who is now serving in the England London Mission. “She also said that we should not fear but just go and do it. We all felt the spirit when she was talking to us.”
Another future missionary, Beckett Bailey, who was called to the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, shared a similar impression.
“Sister Rosemary said that we should remember that wherever we are on our mission, God has already gone there before us,” Bailey said. “She added that we need to wear the face of God. The way she spoke to us felt like a blessing from her.”
When asked how individuals can serve in simple, meaningful ways, Sister Rosemary encouraged others to look beyond themselves.
“You have to move away from your own comfort zone and think of somebody else and how you can transform them,” she said. “There are a lot of people there who are in need of love. There are a lot of people who are in need of care, a lot of people who are in need of hope. There are a lot of people who would like to see the face of God in you. Just start seeing the face of God in them and know them.”
The tabs collected that evening will travel far beyond Oklahoma, eventually becoming part of the items made by the women in Uganda. Katee Bailey, JustServe director of the Oklahoma regional area and member of the Church, said the project highlighted how simple acts of service can have lasting impacts all across the globe.
