By Virginia Masuka, facilitator
We are very grateful that our six months clothing designing course was successful. Your financial, social and spiritual support made the course possible. The course started in May 2019 with an eight hour day for five days a week. Six of our seven girls were resident at the Skills Centre’s rented accommodation and one was a day student.
Achievements
Spiritual formation was one of the strongest components of our program. We were delighted to add one or two bricks on the foundation which was laid by Hands of Hope partners who entrusted us with the seven girls. We can safely say the once dim lights are shining bright again.
On their sewing competence, all girls are able to make different garments from scratch, developing them to finished product and market them. Plaxcedes has already started using the skill to raise money to support her two children by adjusting clothes for people in her community.
Our seven girls are now employable in the textile industry, their understanding of fabrics and sewing techniques qualify them as clothing marketers, pattern makers and tailors.
In our current economic environment our graduates can easily use their skills without being formally employed. They can get customers who need garment alterations as Plaxcedes has started doing in Epworth suburb of Harare.
One achievement which is difficult to quantify is a sense of self-worth which the girls have acquired. One can easily see the transformation if one looks at how the girls now handle sewing machines comfortably, doing machine trouble shooting and basic maintenance.
The girls can also interpret clothing photos and make garments.
The course has also transformed the textile aesthetic taste of our students. They are now well groomed young ladies.
We managed to cover our course content as scheduled. Some lessons became longer than planned due to different levels of content comprehension by the girls. Nevertheless, the girls managed to master the key components of the course content.
Clothing articles made
Different types of skirt (straight skirt for each girl, circular skirt as per customer order, paneled skirts, and elasticated skirts).
Ladies blouses
Ladies dresses
Girls dresses (different age groups)
Boys elasticated shorts
Shirt
Mattress cover (as per order)
Placemats (as presents)
Curtains, bed sheets and pillows (as per order)
Enhancement of different garments to fit local esthetic tastes is still an ongoing activity as they will be marketing the enhanced clothing products.
