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>> Chantille Viaud

A week ago we hosted an event that many of us are still thinking about. Alongside a community fundraiser bazaar with music, gently used clothing, prizes, and laughter, we welcomed the Children of Gaza quilt exhibition.

The quilts, part of a project based in Berlin, are made up of hand-stitched squares remembering children killed in Gaza. Each patch bears a name, an age, a short story. Every child honoured was a life brutally taken. And every square tells us what we already know to be true: children in Gaza are just like our own.

The quilts lined the walls of our space and invited us to pause. To read. To feel. Many of us stood quietly, some in tears, others simply sitting with the weight of it all. The space held heartbreak, resistance and community care.

Ina, who coordinates the quilt project, decided to offer a chance for people here to participate and invited people to sew their own squares. An impromptu sewing circle formed: no machines, no experience required. Just hands, grief, and deep solidarity.

Staff, neighbours, and youth came to take part. People shared stories, practiced saying the names of the children, talked about what else we could do. Someone brought snacks with Palestinian flags. Some people had lots of sewing experience, many had none. My 14-year-old came and designed a patch in memory of a 16-year-old boy named Shadi. “He was just walking across the road and they shot him,” he said. I am stitching my own square for a 4-year-old who was killed by a bomb. My youngest child is also four. It’s impossible to explain how that kind of loss sits in the body.

The sewing circle became a place to hold that ache, together. A way to honour the children and bear witness. Here at Fernwood Neighbourhood House, we believe in showing up. In holding space for hard truths. In building community that doesn’t look away.

As the federal election approaches, I find myself thinking about these quilts. About the faces and names. About what we’re willing to stand for. Dignity. Justice. The right for every child to grow up safely: here, and everywhere. If you want to contribute a square, you can. Message @children.of.gaza.quilt. No sewing experience needed just a willingness to remember.

Let’s keep stitching. Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep building something that lasts.