Malawi Children's Village - Nettie's Sewing Project
Some of the very real threats to a thriving society in Malawi are malaria, HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, and access (or lack thereof) to an education… especially for it's most vulnerable… the children. Enter Malawi Children’s Village in Mangochi, a village-based program supporting orphans and other vulnerable children. Instead of being an orphanage, it prides itself (and rightly so) on being a village based orphan care program that not only addresses immediate needs, but also provides future opportunities.
One of the many incredible vocational programs of Malawi Children's Village is Nettie's Sewing Project, started by a woman named Nettie Graulich. Nettie is a professor in Fashion Design at Marymount University in Washington, D.C. While in Malawi in 2002, she started the Sewing Project as a tailoring workshop to teach a skill and to help clothe the orphans at MCV. Ever since its inception, Nettie has been spending several months a year in Malawi teaching and leading and supporting the program with a very hands-on approach. Not only does she consider Malawi home, but Malawi considers her one of their own.
The program was started in 2002 as a training course with eight treadle (foot powered) sewing machines (like the one shown here).
Now, the program is a bonafide factory using industrial machines. Here, during down time (due to a random power outage as happens here) we see some of the young workers showing off recently sewn animals for children.
While they started with only eight treadle machines, they now have a fleet of industrial machines that allow them to fulfill contracts with schools, safari outfitters, tea estates, hotels and resorts, tourist shops, and others. Many of these products require complicated patterns and a great deal of piping and detail work. High quality work and reliability are what they have come to be known for.
Under Nettie's tutelage, the program has grown from simple tailoring to the complete manufacturing of professional grade goods for a wholesale and retail market. Here we see a sample of the exquisite embroidery work done for professional logo items and uniforms.
The Sewing Project benefits its workers in many ways. Many of the orphans who train with the Sewing Project are fed also. Here we see a storage room full of patterns, fabrics, and extra maize for feeding workers and for food shortages when necessary.
Workers are paid fairly based on experience, and with the money they make, they can feed their families, build a small home, buy goats, start their own businesses, etc.
The Project also teaches the kids a strong work ethic and what it means to take pride in one's work. The experienced kids teach pattern making and sewing to others, strengthening leadership skills along the way. The welfare of the families of the kids is an important aspect of the program as well. Taking care of their immediate family is a requirement for participation. The program managers go on village visits and monitor the needs. The whole team will often go as a group to help raise a roof or build a house for one of the Project's workers.
As long as there is work, trainees are encouraged to stay with the program for as long as possible. This truly is an opportunity for a better life. So much so that the Sewing Project has become a model for vocational training in the developing world.
For more information and/or to get involved or donate to Malawi Children's Village and/or Nettie's Sewing Project, please go to www.malawichildrensvillage.org.
And be sure to stop by their showroom when in Mangochi!
