Encouraging and Employing Women
Encouraging and Employing Women
After consulting community leaders in Taiama, we determined that soap making would be a viable business there and we launched our first vocational skills training program in 2015 under the leadership of Sarah Kaindaneh.
Forty-five women completed the course over the next five years and were offered a microloan to start their businesses. In 2020 a group of six women formed a cooperative business; they continue to work together making and selling their soap products. As one of the graduates put it, “My soap making business is my husband. I love it – it allows me to support my family!”
In 2020, we hired local experts to tutor 45 women in agricultural skills. We offered program participants micro-loans to help them launch their dream of growing ground-nuts and a local (and very delicious, nutty flavoured) variety of rice.
The tailoring program began in 2020 under the tutelage of Junior Lavalie, a highly skilled tailor. Three women graduated from the program in 2021, and three more are currently in training. Loans will be available for the new grads to set up their own home businesses, or co-op business if they prefer. The sewing machines are humming!Every woman in the program has new hope for a better life for herself and her children. We want to spread the hope further and have dreams of expanding the program. Some of our current ideas include offering apprenticeships for women in modern shopkeeping, and bakery business skills as well as support for the renewal of traditional fiber arts.