This Spring, with your support, Girls Ed funded the field experiences (internships) of students attending the Nyamidaho Vocation Education and Training Authority (VETA). Among the cohort of those completing their internships were Melania and Flora. They are each pursuing a certificate in design sewing and clothing technology.
Melania and Flora had the opportunity to be placed together at Sunflag, a textile and clothing company based in Arusha, Tanzania. While working for Sunflag, they learned from professionals in the factory about the machines, the process of turning cotton into thread, the thread dying process, how to weave textiles, and how to design and create clothing, such as shirts, skirts, dresses, suits, and more.
In this video, Melania films as Flora gives a tour of the factory and explains the machines and the process of making threads and textiles.
On a recent trip home to Kigoma, Melania and Flora visited our in-country Project Manager, Lucas at the Project Wezesha office. He conducted interviews with them so they could share firsthand about their time in Arusha. In this video, Lucas greets donors and introduces Melania and Flora.
In this video, Lucas interviews Flora in Swahili about her recent field experience for her certificate in sewing design and clothing technology. Flora explains that she completed her field experience in Arusha. She refined her tailoring skills, learning how to make shirts, dresses, and suits from Kanga and Kitenge materials. She extends tremendous gratitude and blessings to everyone who has supported her and her peers so they could have this opportunity. She also says how happy she was to have the chance to see Arusha; to know a larger city. Finally, Lucas invites her to stand up and show off the lovely dress that she made.
Flora, once a very shy young woman has really come out of her shell. To see her speak so openly and with such confidence about this experience is such a testament to the value of investing in and believing in young women. Without the opportunities of study camp, secondary school, and now this vocational training experience, Flora might still be a reserved young woman, taking a step back, letting others speak for her, and walking the path chosen by others.
In this video (Part 1 of 2), Melania says that she has learned how to make many types of clothing during her internship with Sunflag in Arusha. They have learned how to process raw cotton into thread and then how to make clothing from the materials. Lucas asks her about the process of making a shirt. She explains using technical language, and then shows off the shirt she is wearing, which she made from scratch!
Melania's enthusiasm about her work and what she's learned is evident -- even if you don't understand Swahili. She expresses gratitude to donors who helped make this field experience possible. She sends blessings and shares how happy she feels about the opportunity to live in Arusha, learn from professionals, and continue her studies.
In this video (Part 2 of 2), Melania describes the process of making Maasai Shuka, the traditional clothing of the Maasai people of East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). In great detail, she outlines the process of creating thread, dying it in red and blue, weaving the threads into the traditional checked pattern, and finishing the textile for use in sewing. She describes the large number of products that can then be made from the materials. She knows that the Maasai pattern materials are in demand and therefore, knowing how to create them is lucrative for an entrepreneur selling such textiles in larger markets. You can learn more about the Maasai Shuka and see some of the incredible fashions here.