The Tailoring Vocational Skills Center (TVC) is a class of 10 students led by Shaima, a skilled tailoring trainer, in the village of Sheer Abad, Dehdadi district, Balkh province, Turkmenia.
The class consists of women and girls from the village who aspire to become professional tailors. They aim to start their own workshop by completing the training program provided by the project and following the schedule and manual provided by the trainers.
Within a span of five months, the class has achieved remarkable progress and displayed their hard work in sewing, designing, and measuring skills. Through their collective investments, they purchased fabrics and tailoring accessories for 4,700 Afghanis. They utilized these materials to create clothing items, which they successfully sold at a profitable price.
With a stroke of creativity, the group transformed white fabric into blue and stitched 10 school uniforms of different sizes. Each uniform was sold for 80 Afghanis. Additionally, the TVC invested the money earned in purchasing black fabric to create veils (hijab masks). Currently, they have embroidered 10 veils and are working on 10 more. These finished veils will be sold in the market, allowing them to reinvest the proceeds.
In the past five months, the class has embroidered over 150 pairs of clothes. According to Shaima, the trainer, they typically sew around 15 pairs of clothes per week, with the workload often influenced by special occasions and celebrations.
Shaima expressed her pride in the class’s ability to design and sew a variety of garments. They strive to develop their creative ideas and unique designs to sell in the market and generate more interest. Furthermore, they assist their family members by sewing clothes and also take orders from customers.
One of the students, Shereen, shared her happiness regarding the progress she has made since joining the class. She mentioned that initially, she couldn’t even operate a sewing machine or sew a straight seam. However, with time, she has learned various techniques, such as cutting and stitching different types of dresses. She also gained knowledge about measurements, which is crucial in tailoring.
Most of the members in the class are illiterate, with only one having completed primary school education, and another being a high school graduate. Initially, writing down measurements in inches and centimeters posed a significant challenge for them.
However, Shaima proudly mentioned that all the members of the tailoring center can now write and read measurements and body parts, which marks a significant development for women who previously struggled with even writing a single word.
The members of the TVC are immensely grateful for the support and cooperation provided by the institute and the generous donors. They believe this program holds the promise of a brighter future for themselves and their families.
