Steve (host):
Welcome to the 15th edition of Wonderspace which was originally released as a video orbit on the 14th of December 2020. Since then we've been asking the same 6 questions to people from around the world. Our questions revolve around life and wonder, places of reset and stories of hopefulness which I think we need more than ever. The setting for all of our interviews is a virtual window seat on the space station from where we see everything from a different perspective. This week our orbit takes us from the UK to the Indian Ocean and joining us in this ultimate window seat we welcome Abby Hewitt.

Steve (host):
Abby is the CEO and co-founder of a social enterprise called Love Welcomes which was set up in response to the refugee crisis. Today in Greece the Love Welcomes team of refugee women are transforming life vests and blanket materials into beautiful handmade products that are sold all over the world. They have now produced and sold over 6, 000 welcome mats which were designed by the artist Banksy. I start by asking Abby from this window seat 250 miles above earth which place sit your country would you want us to fly over and why.

Abi:
The country Greece and more specifically an hour out of Athens going north. You find that there are 14 refugee camps on mainland Greece. There are so many people in that camp that I love and I desperately miss and worry about. Many of them have had horrific journeys and experiences and the situation in the world currently is adding to that trauma. The conditions we've all found ourselves in due to COVID are massively intensified if you live in a refugee camp and if you're locked down there with no way to get out and living in very tough conditions where your current home is a sparse metal container and you have very little access to health care or other services.

Abi:
So for me it has to be Greece.

Steve (host):
Abbie give us a glimpse into your life story so far with an emphasis on what you are doing currently.

Abi:
Very early on in my career I realized I was attracted to creatives, makers, and artisans. I've worked with very, very talented musicians, actors, directors, game makers, artists, and unusually, I do also include activists in that list. There are many people who are inspired to make and create. They are inspired by beauty and justice. And when they see a gap, they see an opportunity.

Abi:
With hindsight, I realize I'm an entrepreneurial person. I didn't see it for years. I didn't understand it. Therefore, I didn't understand myself. I didn't understand how I worked, but now I do.

Abi:
And now I'm grateful for it. 4 years ago, I saw the need in Greece for creative thinking and not the standard model of how refugees are perceived and treated but a different 1, a new way of depicting what was going on. Love Welcomes was born with an emphasis on enabling the refugees to make their own decisions for their own lives and for their families' lives, giving them opportunities that many of us take for granted. Love welcomes, upskills and employs women who earn a salary for their work. We know that when you financially support women, they invest that money in others.

Abi:
We see a huge knock-on effect in the camp. Also, the profits that we make from selling the products go to benefit the entire camp, with key services for everyone. Food provisions for families who have absolutely nothing, nappies for newborn babies, clothes and nutritional items for those most in need. The women are creating home goods that can sit in our homes as a symbol of welcome when we can't physically welcome people. Our neighbours and community can see that we've spent our money and buying power in what we believe.

Abi:
I'm grateful to say that customers all over the world are buying these products that are made with love. At a time when our governments have been building walls and turning people away, all over the world, we've got customers who are buying things like our woven welcome map as a statement that they support refugees. What we're doing helps the refugees, but it helps us, it helps us to find our own humanity. What we've tried to do is understand the fact that we've got a huge humanitarian crisis, but on top of that so many other things play a part. So all our products are made from upcycled goods, upcycled life jackets that refugees use and weave into our products.

Abi:
It's a way of dealing with their trauma. It's a cathartic movement for them. It's a very controversial piece, the life jacket. Many of them are not able to save any lives. They're actually drowning devices.

Abi:
They cost a fortune to make that journey. But if we change that controversy into something positive for each refugee, They're able to think of it as this is going to earn me a salary. This is going to earn my family some sort of independence and ability to make our own decisions. That is a really powerful tool. 1 of the things I'm really grateful for with Love Welcomes is the collaborations we've been able to do.

Abi:
We've worked with Margot Selby who is a very well known artisan and weaver and sells her items all over the world. She's designed a range. We've worked with the infamous artist Banksy. We're in conversations with many retailers who are looking at ways to upcycle materials and to employ refugees. I'm so grateful for that, that people are starting to see refugees as people rather than as items.

Steve (host):
Where on earth is your place of reset or recharge?

Abi:
My place of reset is when I can see the sky and the sea at the same time and I can dream. The bigger the sky the bigger the dreams. I'm fortunate that many places that spring to mind are those where I've lived or I have shared experience with loved ones. I think of Wapping, Eastbourne, North Devon, Venice Beach, Tulum, all places that I can see the sky and dream.

Steve (host):
What wonder of the natural world excites you the most?

Abi:
There are so many that excite me. The main 1 that I really get energy from is the ebb and flow of the tide, the strength of the tide, its power and the fact that you can't control it. It's going to do what it's going to do and it's going to do what it's going to do that it's done for centuries. We're tiny in comparison, it's good to remember that we can't control it.

Steve (host):
Abbey, what is your story of hopefulness that's not your own about a person, business or non-profit who are doing amazing things for the world?

Abi:
My story of hopefulness is when I think of Layla. As soon as I think of her I think of hopefulness. Layla is 24 and she's from Aleppo. She was married and gave birth to her first born son. 10 days later her husband was killed by ISIS.

Abi:
So she fled with her son. She fled for her life. She walked from Aleppo to Turkey and all the way to the Mediterranean. From there, she went on an exceptionally dangerous journey to cross the sea and end up at Lesbos in Greece. She lived in the worst refugee camp, and through all of that, she cared for her baby and protected him.

Abi:
After 3 years or thereabouts she was transferred to a mainland camp. After 2 years of living there she learned to weave so she could carry on the creative tradition of her grandparents and homeland. Having something to do each day to focus her mind. Having something to do each day to focus her mind, having something to do each day that enabled her to come out of her trauma, to see that there was a life worth living. She's a fully trained weaver now, and she lives in Germany.

Abi:
She's been permanently relocated, her and her son, and she's earning a full-time salary as a fully-trained weaver. There's barely anything more hopeful than that. There's so much hope in her story for her and her son and all of humanity. If we treat people with dignity and respect, they can flourish and rewrite their story. Therefore we can all flourish and rewrite our stories and benefit from each other's experiences.

Abi:
This is 1 experience in my life that amongst all others means the most.

Steve (host):
Finally as we prepare to re-enter, what insight, wisdom or question would you like to share with us?

Abi:
The question I'd like to share is the use of the word refugee and why we use it. What we're actually talking about is a wife, a husband, a grandmother, your friend, your sister, your brother, it's a person. They're fleeing a brutal war. We've all seen how our lives have been turned upside down overnight by COVID, But many people's lives are turned upside down every day by violence and war, so I question all labels. How would we want to be treated if we had to flee our comfortable and warm homes overnight and make a new life?

Abi:
At the end of the day we are all still people and we need to be treated that way.

Steve (host):
To find out more about the amazing work of Lovewelcome's go to lovewelcome.org. If you want to find out more about Wonderspace, join the community or listen to previous episodes. The website is ourwonder.space. I want to thank Abi for being with us on this Wonderspace orbit and I hope you