Life in Africa Graduation

The ladies anxiously awaited our arrival. The big day finally came when Vickie (from VKids Trust Uganda) and I would celebrate their graduation from tailoring and entrepreneurship classes. Though two of the graduates were unable to attend as they were caring for sick children and the tailoring teacher was in the hospital as she developed an infection post c-section delivery. Lots of prayers were sent their way before we moved on to recapping our learning time together.

Encouraging these ladies was and will continue to be an integral part of this group’s needs. Ugandan women, particularly women from the village, are culturally mandated to have a lower place in society and so encouraging them – not to have a place higher than their husbands, but to see themselves as precious daughters of their heavenly Father – will be an ongoing need. Once they realize their position with the Father, they will have the confidence they need to boldly build their businesses and contribute to their families, communities, and to the body of Christ.

We reviewed the entrepreneurship materials along with the documents I left behind for them to study and use for refreshing later. We answered questions and I did all I could to impart last bits of knowledge to them. Now we all need to pray for them…daily. This group is a bit different than any other I’ve worked with and so they warrant special prayers from the 100 Christmas Dollies sponsors.

Each woman was given fabric and notions from which to make her first dress. That dress will be worn when she moves around the community to talk about and display her new tailoring skills. The ladies are walking marketing products. They were asked to wear their new dresses to graduation and as you can see they are looking beautiful!

After handing out certificates of completion, we joined hands and prayed for one another and for those who were missing. We called down God’s abundant blessing on their efforts to establish themselves and to hone their skills. Closure…sniffle. Of course I’ll return to visit and refresh with these ladies and I love to send them out of the nest, but I’ll miss our twice weekly teaching and fellowship time together.

Thank you to every one of the 100 Christmas Dolly MAKERS and SPONSORS for making this almost year-long project possible. And thank you Jesus for loving us all enough to join our hearts together in glorifying you with the work of our hands.

One of the practice dresses walking around the village.
Lots more around this place, great way to practice!

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Teacher's Plan

That bright orange tarp lays spread in the shade of the unfinished room as the Life in Africa ladies continue gathering for tailoring lessons. Each had a seam ripper in hand and I chuckled as I thought about how the seam ripper is my best friend too. Each visit reveals a greater degree of learning and proficiency, but the last few visits had me start wondering…would they finish learning before the scheduled close of the teaching?

The teacher and I keep close contact and she continued to affirm that everything was on track. I could see that she was teaching them well just based on my own knowledge of sewing best practices, and so I never worried. Yet somehow learning 15 dress patterns rather than moving to the next clothing item dominated their time.

As is not uncommon here, those earning a salary wish to extend that earning potential for as long as possible. So, when they get to a point just before usefulness (just before you could stop and feel like at least the ladies got this far and those skills will be useful) they stretch things out a bit so as to force the sponsor to continue or lose everything. It’s a manipulation I’m quite familiar with and guarded against, but somehow still lost. I learn so much every time we sponsor skills training but still feel that I’ve not yet mastered the best practice and have yet to find anyone else who has.

We met together – the teacher, Charlie, and I – to create a work plan that will bring the teaching to a close by the end of July. The plan included the teacher adding more time and the ladies getting serious about finishing. The ladies, too, want to extend the only highlight of their day…social time with other ladies. Now is the time where I get serious too. It’s time to deliver the business and ministry that will help these women transition from being students to being wage earners. Pray that we would all find that sweet spot God has prepared for us using our skills and talents.

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Pinafore Project

Arms stretched wide on both young and old, another pack of children ran toward me for welcome hugs. These children belong to the families somehow associated with the Life in Africa group. As I reflected on why exactly this arms-wide-open welcome is so common to me – but would never likely be expressed so openly with others – I gave thanks. I gave thanks that God would use me to show these children his love, safety, and joy. I give thanks that God would know exactly what I need and when I need it and then send a pile of obedient, dirty, smiley, energetic little ones to do the work.

As I approached the workspace, I could hear two women working together on their sewing machine – the second machine is being repaired. Soon all six ladies who faithfully attend the daily Life in Africa tailoring skills training group arrived. The teacher inspects their work and often calls for the seam ripper (I’m glad I’m not the only one who needs such a tool). The blackboard is cleared and the ladies get out their notebooks. Each with careful drawing and instructions about the specific garment they’ve learned to sew.

Stitching tiny garments so as to lower program costs is practice for the real thing. The ladies of Life in Africa go through a series of learning projects – skirts, shirts, aprons, and the like – to prepare them for the competitive world of tailoring. At the moment, the ladies are learning to make pinafores along with other school uniform pieces. My observation is that, compared to what I see in other areas, tailors are few in the village of Namavundu. Schools, though, are in abundance. I look forward to seeing how they apply their new skills and business teaching to partnering with these schools to make uniforms.

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Dolly of Three Dresses

Sloping down from the somewhat main road toward the Life in Africa gathering place, the familiar children began calling after me about their 100 Christmas Dollies. This time when I stopped to greet them, I demanded to see how they were taking care of their babies. Sandra was the only one who could produce her dolly as her older sister ran to retrieve that baby.

Somehow, this dolly must have been shivering in the night. She was clothed first in overalls – meaning she was a he – and then in a dress with another dress on top. Children in Uganda seem somehow genderless when it comes to their clothing so we’ll not focus on that issue for the moment. It’s the shivering that I can’t imagine. Doesn’t this Florida-born dolly know that Africa is HOT too?

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Life in Africa Tailoring Teaching

Charlie's wife, Esther,
displays the result of her homework.

Sitting on the edge of what will be the veranda, the teacher guides those who arrive early in checking the waist seams on their skirts. Others display their homework proudly in readiness for her gentle critique. The little ones stand by waiting to serve as models for the various garments measured and made by hand.

Once the whole group arrives, 11 women including school-age girls who will return to class soon, the giant orange tarpaulin is spread in the late day shade behind a half-finished building. Each student gets out her work and begins while she waits patiently for the teacher to offer direction. Measuring, cutting, pinning…busily they work. Tailoring, mind you, is not the same as simply learning to sew. These women are learning to make garments that fit a specific customer. My wish is that they also learn to make products using patterns so that they can develop the marketplace as well.

One tiny skirt used in practice caught my eye. The pattern on the fabric reminded me of a 1950s kitchen curtain. Little Sheffar, my daring neighbor toddler and youngest sister to Faridah, sports that skirt just right for her tummy but too long for her legs.

Each time I visit I take a few minutes for a short teaching either on business principles or on biblical principles. Not all these women are Christians nor are all the Christian women actively Christian. I don’t hide that the message is one of Christ-centeredness but I also try to be kind to those with other religious beliefs with the prayer that as they’re introduced to Jesus they will give their lives to him.

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Sewing Machines for Life in Africa

The road between Nakasero and the taxi park hosts a building across from the red veranda – meaning, when exiting the building with sewing machines you can see the red veranda – a building with a small MTN booth blocking the stairs, the one where you can see bicycles way down at the bottom. This is how I find the sewing machine lady named Ritah. I’ve discovered only one way to somehow find the same location multiple times, a location not frequently visited, and that is to remember every detail about the surrounding area. The problem is that, alone, any one of these descriptors point to dozens of buildings in Kampala. The trick is to remember them all together – it’s like a puzzle.

Down, down, down into the tri-depth of sub-Kampala there’s a small sewing machine reseller who has been faithfully providing machines for Surprised by Hope. Yes, I can find machines all over Kampala but Ritah has become a friend. Last purchase, Ritah was off having a baby so when my white face peeked in the doorway this time she almost jumped up and down. Her adorable baby boy had been up on street level with his nanny but was ushered to my lap almost immediately.

Two Japanese machines and their stands were selected and prepared while we waited for Charlie – who, following my description of the location – was challenged to find us. Charlie would be responsible for transporting these monsters to his home where the students are learning to sew. He’ll store them in his door-less home each afternoon following the teaching. The real challenge will be finding a level place to set up the machines given that his house is on the side of a steep hill. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

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100 Christmas Dollies Delivered

All 100 dollies fit easily into the big black bag, except for the one who demanded to peek out as we traveled. Merry Christmas to Henry, my favorite boda-boda driver at home, who picked us up and delivered us safely to Entebbe Road. The various taxi drivers thought sticking the precious cargo in the boot was the best way for them to travel. I held my breath on their behalf – dust and fumes abound in that part of the vehicle.

After meeting up with Vickie at the Gayaza stage, we headed out toward Namavundu. Charlie’s wife, one of the Life in Africa group leaders, and a few neighbor friends carried the big black bag as curious children began tagging along behind. We parked ourselves at the market center and the older girls helped distribute the dollies. Vickie was in charge of photos and she did a good job given that she’d never taken photos before, though the children weren’t interested in hanging around for pictures. I’m so sorry we didn’t get pictures of each and every child so that you could find your dolly. So very sorry. Very sorry.

Take a look at these adorable faces. The children were tickled. We had just enough dollies for the children in the area. They seemed to understand that when they were gone, they were gone. I can’t wait to return to see the dollies life after Christmas.

A HUGE thank you to every person who sponsored a dolly to make this Christmas event a success and to ensure skill training could continue in the small village of Namavundu.

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