Skills training alleviating poverty among vulnerable girls
DAPP Malawi embarked on a tailoring program in 2016 to empower young and vulnerable women in rural areas with technical skills. The trainings take place in the four DAPP Teacher Training Colleges (TTC)s which are Chilangoma in Blantyre, Amalika in Thyolo, Dowa in Dowa and Mzimba in Mzimba district with funding from Sympany of Netherlands.
Each colleges enrolls 30 students at a time who are equipped with tailoring and entrepreneurial skills. The program targets young women aged between 18 and 24 years from rural areas around the TTCs. The students are given sewing machines as a starter pack for businesses upon completion of the course.
In December 2017, the Dowa TTC satellite students held an open day to showcase what they have learnt and materials they are producing.
The function was graced by the National Educational Technical Program Manager from World Vision Florence Pwere who recommended DAPP for being in the forefront in implementing the sustainable development goals as well as government policies.
“You are really doing a tremendous job in alleviating poverty through lasting solutions that help young vulnerable girls by creating jobs and raising their standard of living” she said.
One of the beneficiaries that completed her training earlier in 2017 is Danny Dzonzi from Kagwa Msabola village, T/A Mkukula in Dowa district. She is a 4th born in a family of 10 and the only child a vocational skills certificate.
Danny was trained at Dowa TTC centre during the first intake 2016. When she completed her course she had no funds to startup a business. However, due to her entrepreneurship skills which she acquired during the tailoring training she established a vegetable garden.
“At DAPP we were taught not to keep our hands in the pockets hence I had to grow vegetables and the profits were enough to buy a Singer sewing machine which I did. With the machine, I have managed to buy two goats. I can no longer sleep on an empty stomach as I used to. I can make more than 40,000.00 kwacha if my local church choirs offered me a tender to saw uniforms and wedding attire,” she explained.
The tailoring students at Dowa TTC have so far made petticoats, baby dresses, pencil skirt, short sleeve shirts, short trousers, and caftans. In January, the second intake students will be finalizing the training with making national wears and learning entrepreneurship as a topic.
