Danisa Masuku
GOGO Grace Nehumba (68), a widow from Luveve suburb sat at her home tired from a day’s long work. She does menial jobs such as cleaning and washing at different family homes. The thought of earning peanuts from her hard work troubles her.
Being a member of the Ugandan Martyrs Roman Catholic Church Luveve branch she poured her heart out to Parish chairperson Addise Hlomani who gave her hope and became a pillar of strength to her.
Before long Hlomani introduced her to four other widows — Eunita Bera (71), Sheila Mguni (71) Josiphine Pondamare (63), and Nothabo Mlotshwa (45).
From time to time they held meetings to discuss anything and everything that affected them.
In one of their meetings it came out as a surprise and good news to them that they all possessed the same skill of sewing but what was a stumbling block in realising their dream of kick-starting their sewing projects was that they lacked capital to buy sewing machines and clothing material.
Hlomani and the church leadership met Lot Water Project founder and director Innocent Hadebe while he was there for the installation of a borehole at the church institution.
They appealed for help to buy sewing machines and Hadebe connected them to United States-based organisation Courageous Women In Action, headed by Dr Hetty Asiodu.
Asiodu and her team donated five sewing machines and clothing material to the five widows. In her hand-over speech at the Roman Catholic Church in Luveve suburb Dr Asioudu said the objective of CWIA was to empower women to live their lives in more ways than one.
She said: “We want women to discover their purpose and to believe in themselves and not to look down upon themselves.
“The women that we have sponsored here at Luveve said what they needed most was sewing machines so that they can sew and support their families since they are bread-winners.
“We have donated the sewing machines, sewing threads and clothing material so that they empower themselves and support their families.”
She also said the beneficiaries of the sewing machines will have to mentor other women in the community.
“These women will have to train and impart their skills to other women and men who have a keen interest in sewing so that most of the community members would be self-dependent,” she said.
The beneficiaries took turns to express their joy and appreciation of how the kind gesture would help them.
Bera said the sewing machine would help in raising money to feed her grandchildren.
“I’m looking after my three grandchildren. Now I will be able to raise money to buy food for my family and be able to pay their school fees,” she said.
Mguni who is a pensioner and has been surviving on selling eggs from the chickens that she rears at her home said:
“I’m very thankful to Hadebe for bringing such good people to help us with sewing machines. Through my egg-selling business I have developed a wider-network of customers that means I have ready customers who will support me in my new business venture.”
Mlotshwa, who is a flea-market vendor, said the sewing machine would help her in sewing clothes and supplement her income.
“I have two children that I look after and the money I get from the flea-market business is not enough.
“Being skilled in sewing I will sew a variety of clothes and sell so as to supplement my income.
“I will also identify a teenage girl from my community to mentor so that she will later be a mentee to another person,” she said.
Nehumba said she had been struggling to make ends meet with no one to turn to for help.
“My husband died some years ago as such life has been a bit hard. I will use this machine to sew clothes and sell in rural areas or do barter trade to get maize or chickens,” she said.
Pondomare echoed the same sentiments as she said the sewing machine would mark a turning-point in her life.
“I have been praying for a breakthrough in my life and I believe this is an answer from Almighty God.
“Indeed God has wiped my tears as this sewing machine would help me raise money for my survival and sponsor my kid’s in their education,” she said.
While they will initially use the machines from the safety of the Roman Catholic Church after a year of proper use and meeting the intended objectives of the programme, the ladies will take ownership of the machines.
