Having the chance to participate in the SheSustains Stories That Matter event, which was held on the 15th of June, 2019, is an experience that I will truly cherish! The event was co-created by Christy Aikhorin and Veena Raju; a safe space for women to connect, support, and nourish one another with stories that matter along with a clothing swop and market of amazing handmade items!
Beginning the event was Lucie Cunningham, a woman whose story and work are deeply impactful on the community in Delft.
She is the founder of Stitching Delft Maternity and Motherhood Assistance (Delft Mama), which aims to support international families who are settling down in the Netherlands. Her volunteering work helps people to integrate into a new community and find work without an existing network, a feeling that is familiar to Lucie herself. Lucie’s platform gives people an opportunity to learn the Dutch language as well as take workshops to learn more about a country or culture. After so many years of building such a vibrant community in Delft, it is time for Lucie and her family to move and she sees this as an opportunity to reinvent herself, build new network and reshape her story.
After the first keynote speaker we all split up and moved into smaller groups for workshops. I visited with Dr. Margriet Krijtenburg, a Spanish teacher who couldn’t have been a more positive role model. She taught us the importance of our perception and how easier it is to be positive rather than negative. In the beginning, everyone in the room introduced each other and said which country we came from. Unbelievably, the every single woman was from a different country and to my realization, we found ourselves together for a common purpose that we will carry into the rest of our lives.