My goal for the week was to identify some women in the community that showed an aptitude for listening, leading, and following instructions. I prayed that from this group of women one of them would distinguish herself as the next sewing teacher who would take over my position once I left the village. I asked Doreen to identify four other women who would be good candidates to attend the 5 day sewing class. I met the ladies for the first time on Tuesday. Each student was given a personal sewing kit and a basic skills test that involved holding a pair of scissors, following a pattern to cut a straight line, and using the scissors to cut around a circle. A couple of the ladies fared better than the others. I planned for the ladies to make a unique and practical over the shoulder tote bag. I hadn’t seen anything like it in Chipata, so I thought the bag would be a great marketing item for future sales. We met for 2 sessions every day (10a-12pm and 2pm-4pm), and it would require a lot of patient teaching to get our sewing project complete.
The village was abuzz with “curious energy” as the word began to spread about the sewing class. A few complaints also began to surface because I only had enough supplies for 5 women to attend. (I hope to rectify that problem on my return visit next year). While the ladies and I conducted our class, their children played happily in the church. At one point during the week, the church was filled 5 women sewing, 6 women from the village watching, and several children playing. The whole scene just made me so happy. We had birthed in the women a hunger and desire to challenge themselves to learn a new skill. As the week wore on and the ladies became more confident in their skills, I actually left the classroom and went to the garden to help our farmers. It was like watching flowers blossom right before my eyes.
Since our school wasn’t yet built, we didn’t have a secure facility to store sewing machines. So I decided to dedicate the first week of class to hand sewing only. One of the five students showed considerable skill. Her name is Matollase Lungu. Interestingly, her father is a tailor, and as a small girl, Matollase would find a long, sharp thorn while playing in the village. She would then take another thorn and poke a hole in the opposite end of the first thorn to make a handcrafted needle. She’s been sewing ever since. Incredible! Matollase brought some of her handmade items to class on Thursday. Her work was beautiful. She was excited about learning this week because even though she could sew by hand, she didn’t know the proper names of sewing procedures. She was gleaning valuable information with the other students. By the end of the week, Matollase was helping the others finish their tote bags. This was such a blessing to me. God had gone above and beyond my expectation, and I believe he has brought us our tailoring teacher. I was so thrilled at this prospect. Matollase has a sweet, generous spirit, and her laugh is contagious. I look forward to the day when I can teach her how to use a treadle sewing machine and transfer leadership of the sewing program to her.
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| Our first sewing class. They did a fabulous job on their bags. Pictured from left to right: Matollase Lungu, Shebitta M'Shonga, Zeripa Nyirenda, Doreen Zulu, and Jane Phiri |
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| Beautiful over the shoulder bags made by the ladies. They are large and sturdy enough to hold a newborn baby inside. |
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| This is Matollase. I'm praying she'll be the future teacher of our tailoring program. |
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| I made this giraffe doll for Jack. I hope he'll enjoy this little keepsake. |
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| A professional tailor who works in Chipata. He is very skilled with the machine. |
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