The programme is aimed at providing women and community members with entry-level sewing and beading training. The trainees are provided with tangible sewing skills allowing them to obtain employment or start their businesses. The training is used as an opportunity to teach them how to put into practice the soft skills that they learn and how to use them to generate income for themselves.
The programme offers training to a total number of 100 women and young people annually (especially those living with and affected by HIV) per cohort that have low levels of literacy with a minimum of grade 6 as the lowest academic achievement and grade 11 as high academic achievement, and are from low-income communities. For Etafeni, working with these women and young people is one of our extremely important activities which offers these women with skills to establish income-generating opportunities that would benefit their families and the community they live in. The program aims to provide rigorous training to participants by providing them with information and skills that would enable them to start and manage successful small businesses, despite their illiteracy. The participants are broken into groups of 25 women per quarter, and receive training from Monday to Friday.
The training time frame: Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 14h30
The training programme offers:
- Basic Machine Operation
- Basic machine stitches & Uses
- Sewing Tools & their uses
- Fabric/Thread/Needles
- Learn How to Sew (Seams, Darts, Pleats, Gathers, Exposed Zip, Pockets, Zips, Collar & Cuffs, Hems, Bias Binding, Sleeves, Buttons & Button-stands etc.)
The training will also cover all of the following concepts:
- Using Basic Pattern Making Tools
- Basic Correct Measuring
- Italian Pattern Making Books & Ruler
- How to draw a basic bodice block
- Drawing basic one-piece sleeve
- Dart manipulation
- Creating a final basic bodice block & sleeve in your Specific Measurements.
- Review Basic Bodice & Sleeve if Needed
- 1 & 2 Piece Collars
- Revere & Rolled Collar
- Basic Shirt Block
- Basic Dress Block
- Basic Pants Block
- How to pattern pockets, zips, cuffs and all design elements.
