Meet Our New Artisan, Yatm
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- By Renew Project
Yatm grew up in the country of Eritrea, a northeast African country that was, for a time, controlled by Ethiopia.
In 1991, Eritrea gained its independence and Yatm's family was forced to leave as her father was originally from Ethiopia. In her teens at the time, Yatm and her sister soon realized that their family needed an additional source of income and went to Saudi Arabia where they found jobs cleaning houses.
After working for several years in Saudi Arabia, Yatm came to the United States where she married a friend of her family, who had come over on a refugee visa. Today, they are raising 4 sons who love to play sports, especially basketball! Yatm keeps very busy-she works the night shift at a local factory, sews at Re:new during the day, and cares for her growing sons. Three years ago, Yatm received her U.S. citizenship!
When asked what she loves most about Re:new, Yatm says she enjoys sewing and the community of wonderful women working around her. She said that at the beginning, she didn't know how to sew but learned quickly in the new sewers class. Now she looks forward to learning more about sewing every day! We are so grateful to have Yatm as part of our Re:new team. Her hardworking and joyful attitude are a gift to us all!