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Martina Sequeira e Souza (Goa, India)

A young mum, entrepreneur and Director of her family run Real Estate Firm called Sequeira & Daughters. Independent and creative, she balances work and family perfectly. In addition she devotes

a lot of her time to her Spiritual Venture of composing music for the Lord. With one album 'Walk by Faith' topping the Gospel Music Charts in India on Reverbnation.com and a growing face book and

twitter fan following, she is now completing another Gospel Album to be sung by her dynamic 6 year old daughter Rebecca who is her pride and joy.

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO, BUT WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH YOU…

From the Editor

Greetings Dear Readers,

As we hurtle through time and space, we have reached the middle of the year before we knew it. This month we celebrate the Summer Solstice on June 21 and eagerly await the coming of the monsoons in India. Most of us have spent the previous two months enjoying the bounties of Nature: beautiful flowers in every hue, trees and plants decked in verdant green, juicy mangoes, chewy cashews, l u s c i o u s m e l o n s a n d s t rawberr ies, the thr i l l o f refreshing droplets of water and the comfort of cool shade in the sweltering heat and the list goes on…

We have been, indeed blessed, to have the opportunity to enjoy these little things that add joy to moments in life and that we tend to take for granted (most of the time). There are other gifts too that we are apt to overlook: gifts that enhance the sheer beauty of living, the gifts of music, art and dance that enthral with the magic they weave around us, uplifting us from the humdrum of dai ly l iv ing and giv ing us glimpses in to Paradise.

The editorial team at Femnet has been lucky to receive articles this month that celebrate these gifts from beautiful gospel music to some that we come across in most unexpected and forgotten forms like the art of embroidery and stitching as well as photography as a means of rehabilitation. And we have lots of pictures! The stranger was right when s/he said that The earth without 'art' is just 'eh'! So grab your favourite cup o' joe, put on your favourite music, forget about the cares of the world for a while and enjoy this small offering from the muses. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as the contributors and we enjoyed putting it together.

Love and Blessings,

The Editorial Team

Being her first venture into the Music Industry, of course challenges abounded. But for every wrong that came along, an affirmation from the Lord made it right. She firmly believes that we are just the Clay in the hands of Our Potter.

Nervous and with anticipation, she wondered how the Album would be received? But like everything that God blesses, it bears fruit. The album touched No 1 in India in 2013 on the Reverbnation Gospel Charts with rave reviews, and is No 1 on the Goa Charts. It has a growing twitter following of 4000+ followers and has clocked 2200+ Likes on Facebook. The truth which marvels her the most is that she has not done any promotion or publicity to further the album. She affirms, 'It's only the Lord's doing'.

Her hopes for this Album are to evangelize through Music and to raise funds for noble causes all over. Having received so graciously, she is intent on giving back and 100% of the Profits of the Sale of the Album go to Charity.

Volume I on the cover indicates that there is more to come... With the quite confidence of the Lord she just says, “Yes!” It goes to show, that it's truly not what she can do but what the Lord can do with her!

These words resonate, as Martina Sequeira e Souza describes the musical journey of her Gospel Music Album 'Walk by Faith.' Unbeknownst to her, the Lord had an amazing plan that would change her life.

Three years back, this young Mum found her ears and heart turning to the Holy Spirit that were inspiring her to compile music and lyrics into songs. Confused at these happenings, she prayed for an understanding of what was happening. By her own admission she admits that she is only a good soprano but a shy one a t t h a t . No t a Musician in any sense of the word, with no formal knowledge or musical training. It was only on her 16 song she realized her calling which culminated into an Album 'Walk by Faith'. A collection of simple yet powerful songs dedicated to intensify our reflection of Faith.

So overwhelmed and encouraged by this Gift bestowed upon her, she took up the mission of seeing the Album to fruition. She teamed up with fine vocal artists, musicians and professionals from among her family and friends: Her mentor and mum Daphne, who provided scintillating backing vocals for the songs, guitar works by her talented family friend Jeshurun, who also programmed, mixed and mastered the Album. Friends like Goa's best jazz keyboardist Xavier Peres turned every song into a masterpiece and budding photographer Ian, captured the essence of the Album with a click. Her husband Nicolas then transformed these efforts into a Video which is beautiful to watch and is well received on YouTube; including even her 6 year old daughter Rebecca, who is the face of the Album. Things began to fall into place and the album started taking shape.

It's Not What You Can Do, But What God Can Do With You…

The Banyan Tree Embroidery Project

Colours

Using Photovoice to Explore Resettlement Expereinces of Refugee Youth in Western Australia

The End of an Era

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INDEX

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“I have lifted the curtain and looked beneath, Whoever has loved will understand”

Kabir, weaver poet

“My creativity is my meditation. Painting and embroidery are wonderful healing tools.”

“The Banyan Tree” women’s embroidery project is a call to women and girls in Goa and beyond, with the aim of celebrating skills and hidden creativity. The project also demonstrates the healing and therapeutic aspects of the craft.

Having the potential to grow just like the banyan tree, which is the national tree of India symbolizing strength and eternal life, the project invites women and girls to embroider a piece of fabric 7inches by 5 inches depicting an aspect of nature found in the tree. The finished pieces will be stitched to a background fabric to create the finished panel. We aim to make a panel 4 meters by 2 meters in length and display it in a prestigious building in Goa. All materials are provided.

Hand embroidery is a skill that requires w o r k i n g w i t h different types of stitches, many of which have been handed down from generation to generation. Often used to produce designs on pillow cases, tablecloths and altar cloths this skil l is slowly d isappear ing. The use of the sewing machine together with a faster pace of life has

brought a change in life style with embroidery no longer an essential part of a girls education. The aim of this project is to help keep skills alive and create an interest in the youth.

In India the needle and thread always had a special place in ancient societies where the needle was a symbol of unity and strength..When women come together to stitch they not only preserve something valuable from the past they help create a strong and beautiful future. Focusing on the craft is helping to awaken and nourish inner resources and so provide a basis for good health.

The therapeutic and healing aspects of this skill can surely be a boon during this day and age when stress levels can rise high.

THE BANYAN TREE EMBROIDERY PROJECT

Eleanor Viegas (Goa, India)

Originally from the UK, married to a Goan and now living in Goa, Eleanor Viegas is an established artist and teacher, with experience in schools, colleges and museums. She holds a Masters Degree in textiles and is a student of the sitar: She

has a passion for all forms of art in India, and a particular interest in Indian embroidery.

Working visual by artist friend Girish Gujar

Women working on the project

Com m en ts m a d e b y wom e n working on the project:

“Embroidery relaxes me and I become totally absorbed. It helps me block out the tension experienced during the day”

“Embroidery keeps my mind happy. When the work is complete I feel a sense of achievement”

“So many different colours and textures of the thread give me the inspiration and passion to work”

“Doing embroidery has not only helped me forget my problems but it has given me time, solutions and strength to face those problems”

If you would like to participate in this p r o j e c t p l e a s e c o n t a c t eleanorviegas@gmail.com

Artist's visualization of the bottomright panel of the Banyan Tree Project

Eleanor putting together the completed pieces.

Details of a panel

Completed pieces for the tree

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Aruna D'Costa (Goa, India)

Aruna is an architect and a practicing interior designer from the state of Goa, India. She enjoys using art as a medium of expression and is constantly learning new art techniques.

accessories like stands and candles to match). Colour adds a touch to garnishing your food and even your salads. The end result has to be appealing, not gaudy and making a statement. Colour is a very important element of design in Textiles, Clothes, furnishings, advertising, printing, photograpy and painting. Colour is used as an identity in school and staff uniforms. Colour is used for expression say in flags, like white for peace, black for protest or mourning, red for danger. Colour speaks for itself, like a pale person shows signs of failing health, knowing that a fruit is ripe and ready to eat, knowing it's time to harvest your crop, leaves changing colour before fall. Colour coding is a system of easily distinguishable colours, as for the identification of electric wires in a cable. Traffic signals are a daily example of colour usage, Can we imagine a universe without colour...

Nature Always wears the Colours of the Spirit” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Colour was created by God in nature, He painted the trees and hills green, the flowers in so many shades of pastels ,bright and vibrant colours. The sky and sea blue, the spectacular sunsets and sunrises in shades of ochre and orange, the rainbow multicoloured, the silvery stars, the varying blue plumage of the peacock, the dotted butterflies even the gemstones in bold colours. What would life be without colours? We all live in a world where, colour is everywhere around us and affect us in our everyday lives. Colour is FREE – it is everywhere – the beautiful colours of nature are there for us to share. Colour Therapy teaches us how to utilise this free resource for health and well-being. A colour therapist uses colour to cure people. We see signboards and logos and in today's generation apps and telecom companies are easily distinguished by their own

colour. The Facebook App uses blue, Whatsup uses green, Yahoo has purple, You tube has red, Reliance blue, Vodafone red, Idea yellow. The use of colour in everyday life is very diverse, Choosing wall/laminate shades in decorating rooms and exteriors For example, entering a warm orange coloured lobby can give you a very positive and vibrant feeling, working in a lime green or lemon yellow kitchen can keep you feeling energetic, shades of aqua, pastel blues and greens are commonly used in hospital rooms and wards for a very soothing and healing effect. We also use colour to relate to our moods, feeling blue or green with envy.

“Colours like features follow the changes of emotions” – Pablo Picasso. Colours of clothes enhances and brings out the best in your looks, making you look your best in the right shades. Colour combinations are very vital in deciding your overall room decoraont, your dining table decor (colour coordinates for table cloth, mats,

COLOURS

USING PHOTOVOICE TO EXPLORE RESETTLEMENT EXPERIENCES OF REFUGEE YOUTH IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Jaya Earnest (Western Australia, Founder Member)

worked with a group of young women f rom re fugee backgrounds a t a multicultural women's health centre. As a d i v e r s e g r o u p o f w o m e n f r o m Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, South Sudan and Burma, they s h a r e d t h e i r r e s e t t l e m e n t experiences in Australia. At the beginning of May 2014, she started teaching a new group. The youth f r o m S o u t h S u d a n e s e b a c k g r o u n d ranged from the 15 to 19 years of age and had all been residing in Western Australia for around ten years.

We were interested in exploring the lives of the refugee youth using photographs and photo narratives. Sonal introduced them to photography work which explored the visual narrative looking at framing, composition, colour and light as the main factors determining the quality of a photograph.Thereafter, topics related to home and family were explored producing s t rong pho tographs wh i ch were

meaningful to the lives of the youth and women. In the coming weeks the groups explored other subjects such as hobbies, and aspirations. In the case of the Sudanese youth, this was also very

revealing both as a indicative of present and future aspirations.

The youth were then encouraged to explore their new environment in Western Australia. The photographs were very personal and both i l l u s t r a t i v e a n d revealing of home lives, celebrations, exotic food, the glorious Perth environment and also c a p t u r e d h o p e s , hobbies, dreams and aspirations. It was a wonderful experience in which refugee youth

were able to describe and critically view a photograph, present their works and comment upon the works of their friends.It is our hope that each refugee young person continues to use their photography skills, feels a sense of belonging in Western Australia and become productive citizens. The photo exhibition shown below was launched on 15 April 2015.

It is estimated that 44% of the global refugee population are children and youth. Australian policy has been harsh in its response to refugees who arrive by boat as opposed to those who are admitted via UNHCR resettlement quotas. During resettlement, refugee youth experience difficulties associated with language and cultural differences, compounded by prior experiences of discrimination, stigma, human rights violation and trauma which can exacerbate mental health problems and the process of resettlement.

The main aim of this study was to explore the major issues affecting refugee youth who resettle in Western Australia (WA) for two groups of refugee youth and to work with them to develop a range of policy, and service responses that could better support their successful resettlement. The research also engaged some refugee youth in a photography project called 'photovoice'. Use of the Participatory Approach of Photovoice provided refugee youth with the opportunity to present their stories through photographs.

Ms Sonal Kantaria, a photojournalist from the UK worked with two groups of young people from refugee backgrounds over a period of 6 months from February to July 2014 in Western Australia. She

Jaya with two young women from Iran withthe photography exhibition in the background

Founder: Betsy Pinto-Nunes | Founder Members: Janis Mwosa, Colleen D'Souza, Pam Gonsalves, Mafalda-Anne (Mafie) DeSa, Marie-dale (M-d) Pais, Jaya Earnest, Cynthia Pinto-McDonnell

Editor: Chandandeep Myrtle DeSa Email address for submission: femnet.newsletter@gmail.com

Issue 39 | Page 4Visit us at femnet.goanet.org

THE END OF AN ERA

Brenda Rodrigues (Goa, India)

grandmother as Lydia Dressmaker because of the legacy she created with her magnificent wedding gowns. To quote one of her many brides, "She made every girl feel special on their biggest day!" Nans was a devout catholic who walked to church everyday as long as she was physically able, even past the age of 90! She was also an active member of the Ladies Sodality and a pillar of her community. She would, in fact, joke about how in spite of going to church daily, her grandchildren, one by one, started marrying out of the community however growing to love all of the in-laws! One of the things I admired about Nanzie is that she always took pride in being well groomed, right from her clothing to her makeup and jewellery … she was always impeccably dressed! And I'm sure that she must be thrilled to hear so many of you say that she looks so regal and lovely, even today! We would like to thank everyone for being here and all those who have been a part of Lydia's life. We especially want to thank Rosy who has been an invaluable help and support to Nanzie, going above and beyond the call of duty! She has been part of our family for over 60 years and a true companion especially during Nanzie's golden years! Nans, as a seamstress, and more so as a Grandma, you always measured up! Yesterday you left us, but your memory and values will live on through us! Thanks Nanzie Bear for weaving your special magic into the fabric of our lives.”

My husband and I had relocated to Goa early this year, and it was a stroke of divine providence that brought and kept us in Mumbai during these fateful days. In the light of instruction No.2 below, this is most significant.

About 15 years ago, Lydia had told me that she wanted me to make note of her wishes for her “last journey”. These were (1) to ensure that her body was not taken and kept in a morgue (2) that her funeral was delayed waiting for anyone to come from out of town (3) that she was dressed well and her face was nicely done up, and (4) a band to accompany the funeral procession. I wrote these instructions down and she even signed the note. I am glad to say that all these instructions were followed, which is probably why we

could see a distinct smile on her face as she lay in her coffin. In death, as in life, she looked dignified and regal. It was the seal on a life of extraordinary achievement.

We are delighted to announce that Chandandeep Myrtle DeSa has kindly agreed to help with editing of Issues of Goanet-Femnet whenever needed. Thank you, Myrtle.

Femnet's 6th Issue carried the poignant story of my mother-in-law, Lydia Rodrigues, the well-known dressmaker of Bandra, along with a collage of some of her brides in all their finery. The article detailed Lydia's heart-wrenching journey when she started her business and during the early years of uncertainty and struggle. In her words, 'Only the Lord knew why He was testing me so much.'

In 1997, due to her advanced age and failing eyesight, she hung up her tape measure and signed off with a grateful prayer: “I have travelled a long road starting with just one sewing machine, and a make-shift fitting room, growing to a stage where I had my own boutique with a show window in the hub of Bandra's shopping paradise and 14 tailors working full time. When I set out, my only aim was to provide enough for my husband and children. By God's grace, I did that and much more. I have and cherish with me, the many happy memories of interacting with my brides and customers and dwelling on memories of the wide circle of loving friends I gained for life.”

Lydia expired on 5 May 2015, two months past her 97th birthday marking the end of an era of elegant creations designed to bring out the best in each individual bride: an entire process, beginning with cosy sessions with the bride's family members, leafing through pattern books, sketching, shopping with the family to ensure they got the best materials for the best price, and then showing up at the bride's home to dress her on her great day with her loving touch that made each bride feel so very special.

I'm reproducing part of the Eulogy by two of her grandchildren, Adryan and Mellisa, at her funeral mass.

“Many things could be said about our grandmother Lydia, but we couldn't put it any better or truer than these words from the Book of Proverbs, "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband too, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, BUT YOU SURPASS THEM ALL.' Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise." Most know our