Quilt of Memory and Hope was first published on 17 November 2019. The revised version is uploaded on 30 May 2022 with corrections to some name spellings, and details of the stories from survivors.
The Liberation War Museum (LWM) of Bangladesh with Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) conducted a participatory study with 87 women in the Rohingya Refugee Camps, Bangladesh in March 2019. The workshops were conducted between March 13-30 with women from over 8 different camps.
As part of our holistic approach, we wanted to create a process to heal, build solidarity and peer support among women survivors through action research. Our goals were to raise the voice of women in a way everyone could participate, irrespective of education, literacy level and age. To do this, we needed to create a process where activities were focused on looking forward as much as looking back. Our findings from the workshop and the sewing sent a strong message of hope from the women and that there is still much to remain optimistic about. Despite the unimaginable sufferings and trauma these women have experienced, they continue to live every day with hope for the future of their children, their community, and themselves.
Now with the opportunity to express their pain, suffering, hope, and dreams, they have reflected their innermost feelings through the art of sewing. Each of the designs has an individual standing behind them, collectively they uphold a message for themselves, for the community, and for humanity.