Batsiranai Sewing Project

From very humble beginnings on the verandah of the farm, the older girls of Lirhanzo children’s village (LCV), equipped with only two hand-sewing machines that had arrived in the container from Australia, were taught how to pattern make and cut and sew simple articles of clothing.

Trish, one of the field trip members in 2005, worked tirelessly with the students, even managing to set a pattern for local school uniforms.

Since those humble beginnings, the Batsirani Sewing Group produced casual skirts and blouses for women, curtains for the local people in the village among many other saleable items.

They have made school uniforms for the secondary school girls and they sell like hot cakes. All the surrounding schools are buying their uniforms from the Sewing School!

For the local ladies, the Sewing School began creating patterns using designs of old clothing so that customers could see how their dresses, etc would look like before placing their orders.

The money accumulated from the sewing was used to buy one electric motor for one domestic sewing machine.

The older girls have acquired sewing skills and can operate electric machines (when power cuts allow).

The girls can take body measurements and make garments to fit and are becoming well known in the local area of Chikombedzi.

Most girls can use hand sewing machines and a zipper foot though only having one overlocker to share has forced all members to sew in one colour only.

Young orphan women benefited by learning sewing and business skills at Batsiranai Sewing Group ensuring their future employment stability.

The project trains young adult orphan women at LCV and other women from the surrounding community with sewing skills so they can earn themselves a living.

We hope to reestablish the project in 2016 if funds become available for rent, electricity and wages.