20 more girls graduate in tailoring
The DAPP Mikolongwe Vocational School’s Mobile Training project has completed the training of 20 Adolescent Girls and Young Women, 10 from each Salima and Dedza districts. The four-month training run from October 2020 to January 2021.
With the goal to socio-economically empower the vulnerable and at risk adolescent girls and young women through vocational and entrepreneurial skills, the project was implemented in partnership with the Malawi Girl Guides Association (MAGGA).
Speaking during the certificate presentation ceremony the Deputy Chief Commissioner for MAGGA Lucy Nkhoma said she was proud that all 20 students have completed the training and called on them to become mentors to more than 700 peers within their communities.
“Now that you have completed your basic training, you need to stand firm and shoulder the responsibility of imparting the knowledge and skills you have acquired to as many young girls as possible. You are now mentors as such you should work as servant leaders to save as many young girls from unruly behaviours from you respective communities,” she said.
The Deputy Chief Commissioner went ahead to recommend DAPP Malawi for laying out such outreach training program that targets youth in hard to reach areas of Malawi who could otherwise be at risk if left alone to escape poverty.
The Principal for DAPP Mikolongwe also thanked MAGGA for supporting the training of the adolescent girls and young women who could otherwise not become self-reliant and encouraged the new tailors to embrace modern fashion in their work.
The students received start up materials in groups of three people which include a sewing machine, roll of fabric, pair of scissors, and a charcoal iron among others that enable them to set up their tailoring business after completion of the training.
Both events were graced by representatives from the district and Traditional Leaders.
The Mobile Tailoring Centre targeted youth from Traditional Authorities Mwanza and Kachindamoto in Salima and Dedza districts respectively.
Mikolongwe Vocational School was established in 1997 to train youth in technical and entrepreneurial skills for them to become self-reliant through employment or establishments of small scale businesses thereby alleviating poverty. The MobileTraining Project has previously trained over 720 adolescent girls and young women.
