Dawn Hurley

Dawn Hurley is an American author and founder of SHONA Congo, a small sewing group for women with disabilities in Eastern Congo. For over a decade Dawn has worked with four Congolese seamstresses, to celebrate their talent and strength in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Dawn has documented the lives of her Congolese friends through her blog, on the SHONA Congo website, and ultimately through the book The Place Between Our Fears. The book follows two of the women over a decade, through war, refugee camps and ultimately to rebuilding their lives in Canada. Dawn is an educator by profession. She currently lives in upstate New York and teaches EOL (English for speakers of other languages). She also continues to partner with Argentine, Mapendo, Riziki and Solange on SHONA Congo.