Graça Bernardo Chongo, a 28-year-old mum and one of the beneficiaries of the Women's and Girls' Empowerment Project, found sewing as an opportunity to transform her life.
From an early age, Graça learnt her first stitches from her mother, sitting next to an old sewing machine. Determined to continue this tradition, she got her own machine with the support of her grandmother. But it was with the Empowerment Project that Graça took a leap forward. By taking part in training workshops, she improved her technical skills and learnt how to run a business, becoming an example of innovation and persistence in her community.
Today, Graça not only supports her two children with the income from her sewing, but has also gained local recognition. ‘With the project, I'm becoming more professional and reaching new levels in sewing. I've learnt to make garments that I couldn't even imagine before, such as elaborate skirts, elegant dresses and stylised hats. My next challenge is men's clothing,’ she says with a twinkle in her eye.
Graça dreams of establishing her atelier in a suitable space where she can serve more clients and train other women who want to learn how to sew. Her story is a testimony to how women's empowerment can create profound changes, both in individual lives and in the community as a whole.
The Women's and Girls' Empowerment Project continues to support stories like Graça's, proving that, with the right tools, every woman can sew a future of opportunity and fulfilment.