Catherine is an artist in the Our Woven Community(OWC) program at Burroughs. Catherine first learned to sew in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a young girl. She later used this skill to work as a seamstress to make an income to support her 5 children while living in a refugee camp in Rwanda for 15 years.

Catherine continues to use her passion for sewing in Bridgeport since resettling in 2013. This year, Catherine not only makes beautiful items, but is currently teaching other resettled refugees how to sew here at Burroughs. Catherine says that as a participant in the OWC program at Burroughs, “I enjoy teaching other refugee women to sew so they too can support their families and be a part of our community”. She is happy that this opportunity helps her pay her bills, gain stability in her new home and supports other refugee women like her to do the same.