Tailoring Training Classes
DORICA KHONJE
Dorica Khonje is 32, and is single mother with a boy aged 3. Together they live with her father in Matapila village. She graduated from our tailoring program in 2024 and has been doing tailoring business at her home, when she is able to rent a sewing machine, usually two times a week.Although she went on after secondary school to earn a certificates in Agriculture and also Community Development, she confessed neither can earn her a living. She stated that her newly learned skill of tailoring has “transformed her life” because she otherwise had nothing to do except work in the fields. With a rented sewing machine, is now able to earn enough money to support her child. Her greatest wish is to raise enough money to buy her own machine, purchase fabric, and make and sell clothing from her own tailoring shop in the village.
DIANA KAIMA
Diana Kaima is 28 and also a single mother from Matapila, living with her parents. After completing her secondary education, she got married but unfortunately the husband left her with a baby girl. Diana attended our six month tailoring training, graduating in June 2025, seeking the skills to support herself and her child. She is very grateful for the skill she has gained and has been looking for a sewing machine that she can rent to start a sewing business to support herself, her daughter, and her parents. Unfortunately her efforts have so far proven futile due to high cost of renting a machine. When she is able she does sewing piece-work, but otherwise has had to return to the fields doing small-scale farming with the hope of raise enough funds in order to buy her own sewing machine.. Despite their sub-standard quality, the Chinese produced Singer copies machines purchased locally cost as much as 250 USD. It may take her 1 to 2 years to save this amount working as a field laborer.
Malawi Visions has initiated tailoring classes at each of the six Ministry of Hope centers, utilizing one of the classrooms at our after-school learning centers. As the tailoring program grows, we hope to add a dedicated tailoring training workshop. We support skilled tailors, hired by MoH, to conduct training programs: classes last 6 months, and a certificate is rewarded at festive graduations upon completion of the program.
. We’ve been encouraged by the enthusiasm and the testimonials
we’ve received. Our Programs Officer Michael Benson interviewed two recent graduates who related their personal stories.
Proud tailoring program graduates, with their certificates.
So far, each of our tailoring centers is equipped with 5 Singer treadle machines we’ve restored and shipped to Malawi. Our hope is to double that number to not only increase the class size, but also to create “production” centers. There our graduates can return after hours to “time-share” machines, beginning fledgling businesses to earn money toward purchasing their own machine and opening their own shops, while returning a small amount to fund maintenance and materials. All while learning the business of a trade.
But that means we need to collect, restore, and ship many more machines here at home!
