You can hear from a distance, the sound of sewing machine battling on the wooden board, an inconstant “tic-tic” that changes rhythm and that stops whenever the person needs to move the fabric.
When Virag and I enter the shop, around 15 students are inside, some of them in front of a sewing machine, others walking around to help, to pass tools or to cut their model before starting sewing.
Our SDA-tailoring students have their practical lessons directly at the teacher’s tailoring shop, a bit out of Nebbi centre, but with its two big rooms and the outside veranda is the perfect place where to learn.
Colourful fabrics, thousands of different buttons and zips, are hang up around the veranda, while the inside walls are covered with pictures of different clothes to give customers, and also students, an idea of what can be created.
This week our students are working on a male shirt model, with short sleeves, buttons on the front and a nice collar, that makes it very elegant and perfect for a hot Sunday mass. After observing the teacher going through different steps and creating it, students have to pick the fabric they prefer and they have to start working on their own ones, always under close supervision.
The atmosphere that we breath is relaxed and cheerful but at the same time is serious; students are focused on their work, trying to help each other and not to make mistakes. If they get stucked or if they have doubts, they can reach the teacher that patiently, one by one, listens and then clearly explains them how to solve it or how to proceed.
We chat with some students: Ivan, who is 18 years old, and Gloria, who is 24 years old. Both of them have been dreaming about becoming a tailor since they were little, fascinated by the colours of the fabrics and the beautiful clothes that their mothers created and eager to be able to sew something personal and unique one day. Opening their own tailoring shops and selling their own style type of clothes is their biggest dream; completing the course and obtaining the certificate is the first step towards it.
EMOTER SDA has given them the chance to achieve their ambition and goal, while the teacher himself has become their role model, a good point of reference to look at.
In fact, he has been working as a tailor since he was just 16 years old, learning the job from his mother. He soon fall in love with sewing and while completing his studies and graduating in Accountancy, he kept working parallel as a tailor.
Later on, thanks to his efforts, he managed to rent the place so that he had his own boutique, and he started to teach classes to young students who as him wanted to learn the profession, driven by strong motivation.
His passion and love for the job are fundamental for our students to understand the importance of hard-work, consistency and responsibility.
While they work on their shirt, Virag and I, see clearly how much effort they are really putting into it in order to learn and to improve their manual ability and skills. Although some difficulties especially when it comes to calculation, measurement and sizes, which are challenging for students who have interrupted their studies early, they are all still willing to find their way and to cope with them, determined to end the course with strong competences acquired.
Looking at them, make us feel proud and confident about their future possibilities. Their effort is not going to be wasted.
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