Re Use by Ajuda de mãe

ReUse by Ajuda de Mãe is a social entrepreneurship project developed by Gabinete de Santarém, with the main goal of integrating unemployed mothers into active life. It is based on the concept of creative reuse based on the reuse of textile waste, transforming them into sustainable and reusable products, such as wipes, bags of various sizes, and bags, among others. The mothers integrated in the Atelier, located in the former Military Prison of Santarém, in a space provided by the Municipality, learn to sew, share experiences and develop skills with a view to their personal development, thus fighting social isolation. They play an active and dynamic role, whether with suggestions for new products or in helping more capable mothers to learn and monitor the work of the mothers who start the project. The profit from the sale of the products is distributed to the mothers involved in the Atelier, thus helping to improve their lives and that of their families. This project was created not only to combat the social isolation of unemployed mothers in the region of Santarém, but also to contribute to the reduction of environmental impact through the creation of reusable products, made from the reuse of textile waste donated by individuals or companies, as is the case of the corners of sheets that a company in the north of the country sends us and that would go to landfill, being used here to create our bags, wipes, among others. There are also products created from clothing leftovers that haven’t been sold to the supervised families, such as bags created from jeans.