Thanks to your ongoing support 21 vocational trainees graduated recently, 2 men and 19 women with practical skills training offered in the centre include tailoring, literacy and numeracy, life skills, business skills, and others/related arts like soap making, beadwork, rug making, doll making, gara tie-dye. 

Tailoring graduates can cut patterns, styles, sew, and make neat outfits for toddlers, men, women, and youths.  The training has focused on the production of marketable items of clothing which will enable the graduates to attract customers. The additional skills in soap making and other related arts etc. will provide additional ways for them to generate income.

Topics covered in business skills were: What is a business, examples of business in tailoring, the purpose of a business, types of businesses, how to start a business, what is the capital, profit, and loss, how to reach customers for the business, marketing, how to take care of customers, finance management skills including the cost of items and planning, simple bookkeeping (item/name, income, expenses, and balance), how to work in a group business, leadership and team-building (collaboration, mentoring, coaching and conflict management), time management, etc. 

The life skills learned were about human rights, malaria, Ebola, Corona Virus, women’s rights, sexual and gender-based violence, domestic violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), and child rights the cause, effect, and how to mitigate and prevention. The life skills training provided knowledge and vital information on self and family care, social skills, decision making, problem-solving, effective communication, group dynamics, self-awareness, healthy lifestyle, empathy, coping with stress and emotions, and interpersonal relationship. Many of the trainees are now looking to take action so that their female children do not go through FGM.  These sessions also provided an opportunity for the trainees to raise issues experienced in their homes and hope to get support from their peers and others.

Literacy and Numeracy – 8 trainees were illiterate. Writing and numeracy work done by trainees who were illiterate are, writing names of persons, alphabet, counting numbers, using the measuring tape. Write, read the alphabet, use the tape measure to mark measure and cut, identification of numbers and spelling of names and three-letter words.

Graduates also attended a one-month job placement. The centers for job placement were identified (location, owner, address, phone number) Letter requesting placement for each trainee was sent to the owner. A form designed for grading was sent to the owner/proprietors to observe and grade the trainee.  After the period of placement, Proprietors were asked to fill in grades and send the form to the BWUSL office. Job placement Marks were collated including practical tailoring work, specimen practical workbook, and final examinations to determine the performance of trainees.

Upon graduation, each trainee received a report card (Annex 1) and certificate (Annex 1) that was certified by the Director of TVET in the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education. Two high-performing trainees came first and second, the first position received a treadle machine and the second position received a hand machine.

The graduates were placed in groups of 2, 3, 4, etc. to start a group business in their location finding a comfortable veranda in one of their houses to serve as a tailor shop. 7 groups were formed and have received start-up kits, and sewing machines to start their business. 

Our recurring donors are truly enabling ongoing vocational training, business & life skills, internships, and job preparation.  If you haven't had the chance to sign up for a recurring donation yet, we warmly invite you to start a monthly recurring donation here. Even a few dollars a month will go a long way.