‘THIS COURSE GIVES ME ENERGY AGAIN’

“A few of my friends also took this course and then started their own businesses. When I heard how much they were earning from making and selling clothes, I naturally became interested.”

Twenty-one-year-old Miriam Awor smiles as she explains what motivated her to enroll in the tailoring course at FIDRA in the Lango district of northern Uganda. Miriam comes from a large farming family that struggles to make ends meet. As the eldest of six children, she was expected to contribute to the family income from an early age. “I attended five years of primary school. Then I had to start looking for work. That constant job hunting and the ongoing lack of money made me tired. This course gives me the energy to make plans for the future again. Once I finish, I want to start my own business. There are plenty of opportunities for tailors here. I could make school uniforms, and there is always demand for new designs and clothing styles. This way, I can support my parents and siblings and also earn money for myself.”

USER-FRIENDLY

 “The new sewing machines we received from Gered Gereedschap are a huge improvement,” Miriam says with a smile. “With the old machines, the needle would sometimes break, or the machine would jam while you were working on a task. That doesn’t happen with the ones from Gered Gereedschap. Everything runs smoothly. And they are very user-friendly. Thanks to these new sewing machines, I can complete my course quickly and start working on my own.”