Overview:
Our partners would like to start an educational and income-generating embroidery and sewing enterprise as part of the development of their Business Incubation Hub. The project will provide skills training to 40 disadvantaged adults and young people, primarily women and girls. Experienced trainers will provide basic sewing skills training for two groups of 20 participants for six months each. It will also provide a low-cost sewing and embroidery service to the community, particularly students and families of the local King of Kings School and other educational institutions that our partners operate. As a result, it will improve the financial viability of our partners and students.
What we like about it:
This project is with a new partner in Beira, Mozambique who have been working in the area since 1999, just seven years after the horrendous civil war. As a result they have solid working experience and knowledge of the area. They have built up a strong foundation of educational programs including a school with 2,000 students and vocational training programs. They work closely with the provincial Department of Education and local council and other organisations across the area.
Budget: $25,000 for a one-year project. This includes two embroidery machines, sewing tools and fabric, a computer and program for the embroidery patterns and a room to conduct the course.
The Need:
Mozambique is considered one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 50% living below the poverty line. Ranked 181 out of 188 nations on the Human Development Index, Beira has a population of 600,000 and has all the symptoms of extreme poverty, particularly in the communities where our partners work – high rates of HIV/AIDS, lack of employment and educational opportunities, child/grandparent-headed households, lack of infrastructure, little or no access to services and so on. 42% of the population is illiterate and 45% of the population is under 15 years.
Life Change:
