By Yang Ater Yang
At least 30 women have completed a comprehensive 10-day training program on empowerment through tailoring, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) for economic sustainability.
The training in Rumbek North County of Lakes state, was organized by For Us All Agency, supported by Pakam Intellectuals.
Lahat Matueny, one of the participants, expressed her satisfaction with the training on VSLA and tailoring.
She shared her newfound ability to repair torn clothes using her newly acquired tailoring skills.
“Now, all the clothes which are torn out at home. I have managed to fix them through my new tailoring skills. I sew them all even now as we speak. I am doing work successfully,” she said.
Matueny expressed her determination to utilize her skills to benefit the community of Rumbek North County, extending her gratitude to the organization for providing her with this valuable knowledge.
Another participant, Martha Amakou Maguen, also expressed her happiness with the 10-day tailoring training.
She underlined the group’s collective commitment to making a positive contribution to their community.
Maguen appealed to relevant organizations in Lakes State to support the women of Rumbek North County by providing tailoring machines and additional training to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Charlin Matoch Malok, the executive director of the organization, explained that the training program spanned 10 days and covered tailoring and VSLA to support women’s microfinance businesses in Rumbek North County.
“We selected these women based on their capabilities through community sections. We trained them in VSLA, which stands for Village Savings and Loan Association, as well as tailoring,” he explained.
Malok said that tailoring had not been previously unavailable in Rumbek North County, and the funds for the training were raised through the efforts of the committee and community intellectuals of Rumbek North County, under a program called Pakam Connect.
Malok further added that the women were equipped with fundamental tailoring skills and knowledge of VSLA.
He disclosed that one group even received 200,000 South Sudanese pounds to support their business ventures.
“This is the progress we have made through this training,” he proudly stated.
Malok described the selection process, which involved identifying women from different age groups, including middle-aged women, young women and girls, widows, and people living with disabilities, who were eager to improve their lives.
The selection process was conducted from the Payam level to the Boma level and finally to the village level.
“We received generous support from Pakam. The Pakam intellectuals donated funds to this organization to facilitate the implementation of this training,” Malok revealed.