28 women equipped with sewing skills
About 28 Windhoek women completed a three-month sewing training course this week at the City of Windhoek.
The City said this is part of their social welfare initiative and helps address the needs of vulnerable groups among residents and it works to develop the potential of individuals, families and communities.
The initiative further aims to empower vulnerable people with various skills so that they become independent and self-reliant and it is also part of their impact mitigation strategy for gender violence, HIV/AIDS and poverty.
Section Head of Social Welfare, Cecilia Maruta said the project has the potential to address poverty and unemployment among women.
“However a lack of resources that included sewing machines and electricity at homes, hamper the continued progress of the beneficiaries,” she added.
She said that after the training course, the City follows up by doing assessments to identify the challenges experienced by the course beneficiaries and try to address them accordingly. The course was conducted at the UN Plaza Community Hall and the Onghuwo Ye Pongo Community Centre in Okuryangava.
The sewing training course started in 2006 with funding from the USAID, who procured sewing machines and other start-up material and since then Windhoek has been running the programme.
