Saurimo, Lunda Sud

DRESSMAKING TRAINING WORKSHOP

Key areas

THE CONTEXT OF YOUR INITIATIVE

One of the major challenges in east Angola is the issue of reintegrating repatriated populations from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and from Zambia.

(These people went to DRC and Zambia as refugees from the 27 years of civil war in Angola between the MPLA (People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola), the party in power since independence in 1975, and UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola), a rebel movement founded by Jonas Savimbi. This war only ended in 2002 after the killing, by government forces, of Jonas Savimbi. After the war ended, many Angolan refugees decided to return to their country.)

Our Group, based in a border province between the two countries mentioned above, provides assistance with the terrible situation of these refugees. When they return to Angola, after many years as refugees, neither they nor their children speak the local language or have any professional training, and the country’s structures for receiving these people are insufficient or even non-existent.

With this activity, we aim to provide professional training in dressmaking to 30 repatriated women in order to stimulate revenue-generating activities, self-employment and improvement in social conditions.

THE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT AS PART OF YOUR INITIATIVE

Funding from Emmaus International has enabled us to:
– buy equipment for the dressmaking workshop (domestic sewing machines and semi-industrial oversewing machine);
– transport and install the workshop equipment;
– set-up the workshop;
– provide professional training in dressmaking;
– encourage the opening of small group and individual workshops.

WHO IS INVOLVED FROM OUR GROUP?

3 volunteers are involved in training the students.

WHICH PARTNERS ARE YOU WORKING WITH ON THIS INITIATIVE?

FUTURE PROSPECTS

Through this professional-training activity, more than 30 women are now professionally trained in dressmaking, now have an independent revenue-generating activity, and have considerably improved their social conditions.

Once trained, the women are helped to set up small workshops individually or in pairs to continue working for themselves.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR INITIATIVE?

WHAT ARE YOUR PROSPECTS?

We are seeking new partners to:

– Recover machines that are broken and need spare parts, and repair them to be used in our training centre;
– Buy other machines to meet increasing demand;
– Include other activities such as: a hairdressing salon for women and a literacy room;
– Extend our impact in the region.