IT IS A TRAINING WHICH HAS ADDED A LOT OF NEW KNOWLEDGE TO ME!
My name is Awadh Shaban Rashidii, a resident of Sokoni steet in Igoma ward*. I have a wife and four children, three daughters and a son. I am 42 years of age. I work as an independent tailor and I have been in this work since 1993 to date. I used to know SIDO but I was not aware that it also deals with sewing machines. This training is very useful to me for three reasons: First it enables me to know parts of a sewing machine which I never knew before. Second, it provides me with quite a new knowledge on how to refurbish sewing machines since for all these years all what I knew is tailoring. Third, the new skills will provide me with opportunity or means of earning additional income.
What I liked most in this training is the availability of many or I can even say, all the equipment and tools required for training. By the way I never knew sewing machines need so many screw drivers! I used to see such tools in cars’ garages. Another amazing thing is the excellent teacher we are having. He knows how to teach adults, doesn’t get annoyed even when asked strange questions and is very tolerant. And, really this man knows sewing machines. It seems every single part of any type of sewing machines even small nuts are in his head!
Three weeks period for training is fairly enough but it would have been better if you make it four weeks so that we will spend the entire fourth week on embroidery and zig zag machines. These are a bit complicated since it has so many parts including gears and a number of buttons to adjust things! Any way I am very happy to have this training because from now on I will be more popular in my locality by having a dual profession – sewing and machine maintenance. I will also reduce costs which I was incurring to fix my own sewing machine by sending it to local fundis while many of them are not even well trained. I am sure my family will also be happy because home income will increase through my extra self-employment activity of refurbishing other tailors’ machines.
There is a small challenge. You know although the training has been very useful to me I have a hard time to earn something to provide for my family. For instance every morning I use to give my children transport fare and some pocket money. But now since al here for the whole day, I have nothing for them. So I will advise next time you provide some token allowance for the trainees especially those with families. That is all I have to say and I am look forward to receive the package of machines and spares as you said.
Thank you TFSR Cymru for the training!
*This is on the outskirts of Mwanza, not too far from our workshop.