Meet Doreen, Joyce and Beatrice who have designs on a career in Tailoring. WfZ is very proud to welcome these 3 lovely girls to its 6 months graduation programme. The main focus will be on teaching the girls skills in tailoring that they can bring back to their respective villages and can carry with them through life. They will be trained in making reusable sanitary pads, preschool uniforms, secondary school uniforms, bags, bunting, 3 toys, toilet bags, dresses and how to insert zips.

Doreen, who is 20, walks 2 hours to attend Tailoring school and 2 hours home. She is one of 5 children, lives with her Mother and step father, where no one is earning. On her application form she tells us her reason to apply is “because I can make my own money in future without expecting anyone for help to find some basic needs through tailoring”.

Joyce, who is 19, walks 1 hour 30 minutes to attend and the same to return home. She is one of 7 children, lives with her parents with no one having an income, so she tells us she wants “to know more information about tailoring”.

Beatrice, who is 17, walks 1 hour to attend and the same to return home. She is one of 4 children, and lives with her parents with no one earning. She tells us that “she wants to get more knowledge through Tailoring school”.

We are very fortunate to have Mercy, who was sponsored by one of our donors at a Tailoring school in Ekwendeni a couple of years ago. Academia not being her forte, she has excelled at tailoring which is her passion. She shared her skills with Agnes who has learnt so much and is very talented; they make a great tutoring team and work hand in glove together. As the years have progressed many of WfZ’s original students are now forming the basis of our leaders of tomorrow.

The structured program consists of six modules, each allocated to one month. Each month, three weeks are dedicated to teaching various subjects, while the remaining week is focused on making reusable sanitary pads.

Module 1 starts with the knowledge and understanding of using the Singer sewing machine, hand sewing, how to make reusable sanitary pads by machine and hand.

Module 2 introduces them to the technique of making dresses, inserting zips.

We sponsor girls at 5 secondary schools; some of these more needy girls would not have uniforms, so in Module 3 the girls learn how to make skirts and blouses for these schools.

Module 4 comprises learning how to make forestry bags, shopping bags and fashion bags.

Module 5 is our preschool module: how to make resources such as letters, numbers and bunting and 3 toys; also teaching the girls to make preschool uniforms.

Module 6 making toilet bags, how to keep records, cost of materials, profit and loss along with a simple version of running your own business.

The importance of this Tailoring school cannot be overstated. It is designed to give those girls an opportunity, who would have failed academically and see no future for themselves, but as we all know there are many paths to success and academia is not the only route.

Gaining these practical skills not only gives the girls confidence but respect within their communities; it educates them and gives them a means to support themselves.

Recently, the Saturday school girls received 232 reusable sanitary pads with 2 pads for each student. 14 girls from different secondary schools received school skirts; all the photos are below.