Report on 2023 Sewing Courses

Gojra

Summary

We started the sewing course in the month of May 2023 and finished in November 2023. Classes were held on Monday to Friday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

14 women graduated with machines and certificates of completion. Unfortunately, three girls left due to family problems and couldn’t finish the course. Out of the 14 girls, four girls work in the fields, nine work in brick kilns, and one girl works in houses.

12 women belong to Christian households and two students were Muslims. 

Impact

Gojra village is famous for brick kilns. Families tend to take loans from brick kiln owners and pay through labouring. Many women along with their children work in brick kilns in this village. It was hard for students who work in brick kilns because they have to work from evening to early morning. After this they have to work in their house, cook and do other house chores. Due to this hectic routine three students left. Often women who work in brick kilns face the issue of harassment from owners and male workers.

The reason we started a sewing centre in Gojra was to help the local community by providing a skill set for women which they can use to earn without working in a stressful environment. It was successful because 14 women in this village now have the skills to financially support their families. At the very least, they can make clothes for their family and can sell clothes to financially help themselves. 

Personal Stories

Mehnaz: Mehnaz is 24 years old. In her family there are three siblings and a father. Their mother passed away when they were young. They all work in the brick kilns. Mehnaz doesn’t have a formal education. Her family is looking for a husband for her who does not work in the brick kilns, and they want her to get married by next year. However, due to her work, they are finding it difficult to find an appropriate suitor.

Mehaz wants to use her skills to earn and save money for her wedding. She wants to work from home and take orders for formal and informal dresses and charge for her services.

Nisha: Nisha is 22 years of age. She has studied till grade 8. She is unmarried and living with her brother and his family because her parents have passed away. Her brother has borrowed money from the brick kilns owners and now they all have work in brick kilns. She finds it hard to work there because she works from midnight to morning and complains about mistreatment from the owners. They don’t receive enough money because half of their income is deducted by owners. She wants to earn money from home so she doesn’t have to go to the brick kilns and she wants to accomplish this by teaching other girls how to sew clothes and dresses of different styles and charge them a fee for it.

Shazia: Shazia is 36 years of age. She has not studied at all. She is married and has five children. She works in the brick kilns along with her husband and oldest son. Her children do not go to school, and she wants to use her skills so her children can get an education.

She wants a better future for them so they don’t have to work in the kilns. Right now, they are not going to schools due to lack of finances. She will use her skills to sell customized dresses in her area. 

Comments from Students

Liaba: “Thank you for providing this opportunity for us. The course went well, and I learned a lot. I can make different styles of clothes now. I want to make clothes for my children.”

Azia: “I never went to school and this was like school to me. I had fun learning with girls. We had a really good time together. Thank you for the machine and training.”

Neha: “Our teacher was really good to us. She taught us a lot even when we didn't understand, she explained again. I want to make wedding dresses for people.”

Comments from the Teacher

Uzma: "The course went good. My main focus was to teach girls how to make their own clothes and support their families."

Plans for the Future

When we started the sewing centres, we started a women's prayer meeting every Friday. We encouraged the students to gather even after finishing the course. The prayer meeting is led by the teacher in the teacher’s house. She will help them if they need it in their work and also through this we will know how the students are making use of their skills.

Our plan in Gojra village is to help them in developing a small-scale business of producing school dresses and form a contract with nearby schools so they are the only ones producing and selling these school dresses. However, this idea will take time because we don’t have enough skilled women in this village and most of our graduates are unmarried and will be leaving the area in coming years. Most girls don’t want to stay here and want to leave soon. Our goal is to target women who already have formed families in this village and encourage them to join our sewing course. We would like to run another sewing course in this village so we can prepare more skilled women for this goal.

Kohsaran

Summary

Classes began in May 2023 and finished in Nov 2023. Every week from Monday to Friday classes were held from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

12 girls graduated with sewing machines and certificates of completion. Out of 12 students, six work in the crop fields, three work in brick kilns and three are housewives. All students belong to Christian families.

Impact

The course was helpful for women because even though most of them went to school and studied, they still have not been able to get a job because in the village there are not many opportunities. Due to the increase in inflation they have to work in the fields and brick kilns to support their families. In this village, people don’t have clothing stores. They have to go to the city to buy what they need.

We were able to provide the local women with sewing skills and now they can fill the supply gap by creating demand for their products. They can earn by taking orders of clothes for villagers. It would be cheaper for local people to buy what they need from a local shop. However, we still need to guide and educate the students on what products to make, how and where to sell them which we will continue to do.

Personal Stories

Ariahia: Ariahia is 31 years old, married and has two children. Her husband works as a farmer. Some days she also helps him. Ariahia has studied till grade 12. She wants to use her skills to make and sell bedsheets and pillow covers of various designs.

Hamna: Hamna is 19 years of age and is currently studying in grade 11. She lives with her parents and two brothers who are both married. Her father wants to get her married very soon but she desires to complete her education. She needs to earn so she can complete her education. Her idea is to make clothes for children selling from her home.

Kiran: Kiran is 25 years old and is living with her parents. She left school after grade 5. Her father had an accident and is not able to work. She provides for her family by working in brick kilns. Her current job doesn’t pay her enough. She wants to be a teacher and use her skills to teach other girls how to make clothes.

Comments from the Students

Rimsha: “The course was good. Our teacher was very nice. Not only did she train us about sewing but also we prayed together and started every class with prayer.”

Rahela: “I really enjoyed the course. I learned a lot about different types of cloth and different designs of clothes which I didn't know existed before.”

Sadia: “One thing I really like about this course is that it was in church and we had a Christian teacher. I went to another training school and when they knew I am Christian the teacher would not answer my questions in class and other students wouldn't talk to me. I am grateful to God that it was a completely different experience.”

Comments from the Teacher

Ruksana: “Course was good and this time students were more regular in classes and I am happy to teach. I hope my students make good use of their machines.”

Plans for the Future

The follow-up plan is similar, every Friday students gather for a women's prayer meeting. The teacher leads this meeting and also makes sure the girls are working and using their skills. We visit them once every two months for bible classes and we will continue to have sessions with them on how to expand their ideas and teach them basic business skills which can help them.

We want to form them into a group with their different ideas for using their skill set. Some want to make bed sheets, some students want to make children's clothes and some want to make wedding clothes. I want them to create demand for their products. Once they have generated that demand we can move forward to help them build a small-scale business.

Chhapianwali (village 182 GB)

Summary

Classes began in May 2023 and finished in Nov 2023. Every week from Monday to Friday classes were held from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

11 girls graduated with sewing machines and certificates of completion. Two girls left because they moved to different villages. All belong to Christian families.

Impact

This was the first time we organized a sewing course in this village. Most women work in crop fields and brick kilns because they lack skills to do anything else. We were successful in graduating nine skilled students and they want to work on the idea of stitching clothes for others in the village.

Personal Stories

Safina: Safina is 33 years old, and she is married. She has four children. She couldn’t finish her education and works in the fields with her husband. Her family is in a financial crisis. She wants to use her skill to make and sell clothes from her home. Her desire is to make more money so she can support her family.

Ariba: Ariba is 21 and soon to be married. Ariba is also finishing her education and is in grade 10. She lives with her parents. She is working in houses as a cleaner. Her idea is to make her own dress for her wedding and use her sewing skills to design traditional bridal dresses and sell them. She wants to support her parents, future family and herself with these skills.

Aishwarya: Aishwarya is 42 years old. She is married and has six children. Aishwarya has never been to school. Her husband works in a brick kiln and she also helps him. She wants to make clothes for her family because it is expensive to buy clothes for eight people from the city shops for them. She wants to save money and use that money for her children's education.

Comments from the Students

Samra: “The course was really helpful and now I can make my own clothes how I want and according to my fitting.”

Sarah: “I like that we prayed before starting our class. Also, our teacher was really good and explained it well.”

Liaba: “At first I was really bad at cutting clothes but now I can cut really well. I am happy that you gave us an opportunity to learn.”

Comments from the Teacher

Kishwar: “The course was really good. I didn’t expect students to be on time, but they were all punctual and excited which made me teach them better. This was my first experience in teaching but it was really good.”

Plans for the Future

In Chhapianwali, they already have a women's prayer meeting with their local church on every Wednesday. We will continue to visit them and have sessions with them in which we’ll address the problems and any issues they have regarding their business idea.

There are other women in the village who want us to start the course again next year. They also want us to start a beautician's course. However, it is better to have another sewing course to see their potential in that.

Abbottabad

Summary

Classes began in May 2023 and finished in Nov 2023. Every week from Monday to Friday classes were held from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

13 women graduated with sewing machines and certificates of completion. Seven are housewives, four are students, and two working as house cleaners. Nine graduates are Christian and four are Muslims.

Impact

Abbottabad is a famous tourist spot and local people prefer to buy handmade items which are unique. Our sewing centre in Abbottabad was successful because we trained 13 women, and they want to use their skills to start a clothing business. Some students are planning to make unique items and sell them online. Some students want to sell handicrafts at tourist sites.

Personal Stories

Foiza: Foiza is 38 years old. She is married and has two children. She studied till grade 12. Foiza is not working currently but she is very skilled and she wants to sell a variety of handmade items online. She wants to see woollen gloves in shops because it’s in high demand in her city. She wants to earn and help her husband financially.

Tania: Tania is 23 years of age and is not yet married. She lives with her parents and her brother. Tania has studied till grade 10. Her goal is to earn money so she can continue her study and finish 12 grades. Tania wants to use her skill to sell customized clothes in her neighbourhood.

Yasmeen: Yasmeen is 34 years old. She is married and has one child. She lives with her husband and his family. Yasmeen has studied till grade 8. She wants to start a clothing business with her teacher Fiaz. Yasmeen is skilled in bedsheet designs and also wants to focus on that as well.

Comments from the Students

Liyiba: “I really enjoyed the course as I always wanted to learn to stitch clothes and make dresses”

Rema: “It was a really good experience because we learned so much and practiced a lot.”

Sanam: “Course went really well. It was a Christian environment and we liked it even though we had Muslim students as well. We prayed with them in a Christian way. Now I hope to use these skills to establish my own business of making and selling gloves.”

Comments from the Teacher

Fiaz: “The course was good. I taught them not only cloth stitching but also we focused on art work and table covers.”

Plans for the Future

We will continue to provide our support to them and visit them. Our goal for them is similar, they have to generate demand for their products. We will help in setting targets and help them achieve their goals. Once we know which of their products sells best in the market then we can further help them in establishing a proper business.

There are more students who want us to start another course. We will continue the course next year in Abbottabad as well because there is market demand which can be fulfilled.

2024

We would like to run five sewing courses next year for six months and target two new places:
- Abbottabad
- Gojra
- Chhapianwali
- Pansara (new place)
- Northern (new place)