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South African Parents Learn From Sewing Project
Mini dust whirlwinds danced on top of the unpaved road in front of Martinia's bare township store. Her husband was at a peace job (common temporary jobs lasting one to two days per week for a few months), and their three eldest children were attending school while the youngest played in the South African sun. Although the store's shelves were empty, six sewing machines clicked in a small attached room towards the back.
As your eyes adjusted to the dark room, you could see American volunteers Dave and Andrea Blow teaching six women how to sew pillow covers, place-mats, and multi-purpose bags. Students watched intently as Andrea cut a pattern out of newspaper and proceeded to pin it to material. Before this experience, a few had never seen a sewing machine.
After sewing class, Florence introduces us to her husband, daughter, son, and granddaughter outside of the family's tiny house. Currently out of work, her husband Madtison thanked the group for providing this opportunity for the family to make some kind of income.
Native to South Africa, missionaries Graham and Eileen Greene supervise this project within the Diepsloot township (ghetto) and also have learned how to repair the machines. A local company donated solid wood tables, perfect for this venture, and a local businessman teaches, "Dynamic Businesses Startup" for free to those wanting to learn basic marketing and financial skills. "We are trying to motivate them to begin businesses and put food on the table," said Eileen. Plans include selling items to tourists which will bring new money into this poor area. When current students are trained, they will instruct new people and then utilize all twenty machines which OBI and Nehemiah Partners donated.
An hour away, deep within Johannesburg's inner-city high-rise community called Hillbrow, a glimmer of hope shines from a fourteenth floor church. For Francine and her eleven classmates, the sewing machine training has given them a marketable skill and a job! Eight months pregnant, Francine is alone and has to put food on the table. Caught in tribal rifts, her husband is still in the Congo desperately trying to join her before their first child is born!
Yards of brightly colored fabric lay beside the machines as the women take instruction from Dominy, Pastor Johnannes wife. Watching the women making dresses, stood their 24-year-old son Serge. Recently trained in sewing machine repair by Dave Blow, he now also is equipped with a good skill and works with his parents to ensure this microenterprise project is a success.
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