Our big push last year was ‘Keep them Singers Singing’, a project that not only delivered hundreds of sewing machines but also trained dozens of tailors and seamstresses in maintaining and repairing the machines. The follow on successes we expect from this is (at least) two fold. Particularly in rural areas, it will make the tailors and seamstresses more self sufficient as they will be able to service their machines themselves.

Another opportunity arising from training will be the ability to work as a full service repair shop in more populated areas. People in the community will be able to bring machines for service or repair to a local fundi (technician) instead of either trying to send it to a distant town (if they can afford to) or simply accepting that it no longer works. This provides an income to the new fundi and a new service to the local community as well as keeping them Singers singing.