Manlok is a Year 11 student at Woodford House, who has been involved in the Service Award since s/he first began high school.

Her Materials teacher introduced her to the ‘Dress a Girl’ organisation: which “imagines a world where every girl owned at least one dress.”

What began as a class project soon became an ongoing volunteering project for Manlok, with her dedicating afternoons after school and recruiting friends to join her, sewing dresses for girls around the world. Dress A Girl recognises that many young girls around the world will never receive a gift – let alone own their very own dress. Since 2009, they’ve been on a mission to change that, and have gifted over one million dresses in that time.

Manlok has been a part of that effort; this year alone, she has sewed six dresses to be gifted overseas. In the process of seeking to help others, she has also improved her own sewing skills: learning new techniques and she’s recently added another style dress to her repertoire.

Volunteering for Dress A Girl has become a passion for Manlok: Whenever I finish one dress, I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that one more girl will be able to have a dress to wear. The Service Award has given me the strength to do more and made me think about what I can do to help the community, not just in New Zealand but also people around the world.”

Thanks to Manlok’s efforts, six girls have now received their very own dress; brand-new and handmade with love. The care and aroha invested into each item is clear – sending the message to their recipients that someone else loves them enough to have made this dress especially for them.

Thank you Manlok for being a part of the Service Award – and for using your skills and volunteering to help others!