Seamstress Impact Stories

Mawumegno

S H E Cooperative Seamstress

My name is Mawumegno, and I'm from Kpové. I learned to sew 10 years ago, and after my apprenticeship, I opened a workshop. But since I am in the village and poverty is common, I would see only one or two orders per month. This forced me to close my workshop and cultivate the fields to survive.

When I heard there was an NGO recruiting seamstresses in Kpové, I did not hesitate. I went home and found my old sewing machine to practice. I went to all of the meetings that S H E hosted, and I participated in their sensitization.

But the whole time, I thought to myself that this NGO, where the women are so clean and welldressed, will never select me. I thought that no one would see my value. But it turns out that I underestimated myself, and I was selected for the program.

I was so proud when I started working for S H E not only because I was earning an income, but because people in the community would start respecting me. Through the salary I receive, I have started hiring people to help cultivate fields for me, and I now help my mom earn an income by selling things at the market. I also opened a bank account and I save money every month.

S H E is special because she cares about us, she wants us to be autonomous, she wants us to be women decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and women who are not marginalized. S H E is special because she tells the truth, she pays us on time, and she is not like other NGOs that come to the village and deceive us. S H E keeps her promises. S H E is helping us become extraordinary women; women worthy of the name. S H E has given me a lot of respect in my community, and I'm honored to be part of this program for women like me.

Noëlie

S H E Cooperative Seamstress

I am Noëlie, and I'm a mother of 4 children. I come from a very difficult personal background, and I can say that I was in a state of real suffering in the fields when I learned of S H E. I didn't know if I would be selected, but I prayed every day that I would be chosen for the program.

S H E has completely changed my life through the work she offered me. She wiped away the tears that I had been carrying for several years. Today, I have purchased a machine for myself because my husband had refused to help me buy one for years.

Now, I make clothes for my children. I can take my children to the hospital if they are not feeling well. I pay for their schooling, eat what I want, and I save a little for the future. Thanks to S H E, I am a well-situated woman now.

My favorite thing about S H E is the way we learn to read and the process of working with patterns to ensure the measurements are not skewed.