NguNtombekhaya Busuku
Ngomhla weshumi elinanye kwinyanga kaTshazimpuzi i-Stitch Lab ibisingathe inkqubo yokubonisa iimveliso zabaqeqeshwa babo abazingcaphephe ekuthungeni.
I-StitchLab – yiprojekthi yesibonelelo sehlabathi seRotary Club yaseGrahamstown Sunset, liphulo elijolise ekufundiseni izakhono zokuthunga kwabasetyhini ekuhlaleni, abaneminyaka elishumi elinesibhozo ukuya kwabaneminyaka engamashumi amathathu anesihlanu ubudala likwabafundisa nezakhono zoshishino. Eliphulo lisebenzisana ngokubambisana ne-Inkululeko, iGrahamstown Sunset Rotary Club ifumana imali yesibonelelo sehlabathi ngenkxaso evela kwiiRotary Clubs e-USA, kwaye yamisela iStitchLab isebenzisa iDakawa Art Centre. Iqela lokuqala loqeqesho ligqityiwe kwaye abaqeqeshi bebebonisa iimveliso zabo kunye nezakhono ezintsha kwiveki ephelileyo. Babenomdla wokuseka unxibelelwano nabathengi abanokubakho, abaqeshi okanye amanye amaqela anomdla.
Amanina avela kwikhlabhu eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Creative woman of the world.
photo: Charlotte Mokonyane.La magqiyazana alishumi ebegqiba uqeqesho lwabo lokuthunga ebefumana inkxaso-mali ebizwa ngokuba siStiped ngolwimi lwasemzini, ngethuba bengekaluphothuli uqeqesho lwabo lokuthunga. Umanejala wale projekthi nowayesakuba ngumongameli wekhlabhu eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Grahamstown Sunset Rotary Club ucacise wathi, “esiStiped sikholo ukuncedisa abaqeqeshwa kwindleko zabo ezizisiseko ezinokuthi zichaphazele intsuku zabo zoqeqesho. Kubanye babo sibancedisa ukuba babeke ukutya etafileni, okanye sibancede ekukhathalela abantwana khona ukuze bakwazi ukuya kuqeqesho lwabo. Ayisiyonto ininzi, kodwa kuninzi lwabasetyhini abangasebenziyo, bayonela yiyo kuba yenza ukuba bakwazi ukuya kulo lonke uqeqesho ngaphandle koxinzelelo lwemali,” uphefumle watsho uRobyn Cooper.
photo: Charlotte Mokonyane.
I-Stich Lab liziko elisekelwe ukuncedisa ekuphuhliseni izakhono zokuthunga, kwaye eli ziko lizinikele ekuqeqesheni abantu abanomndla wokuthunga kodwa bengenaso esi sakhono. “Sileli ziko le Stitch Lab sincedisa ekuphuhliseni isakhono sabantu sokuthunga, kwaye sibafundise nendlela abamatshini bokuthunga basebenza ngayo,” uphefumle watsho omnye wabaqeqeshi beli ziko nogama lingu Tandile Kalipa.
Kwilizwe elithwaxwa kanobomi yintswela-ngqesho, iStitch Lab ifike yayimpendulo kulutsha lwaseMakhanda olungaphangeliyo, ingakumbi amabhinqa, ngokuthi ikhuthaze uphuhliso ekuhlaleni nokuthi inike izakhono abantu abatsha abanokuthi bakwazi ukuzisebenzisa ukuzimela. “I-Stitch Lab yasekwa ukunceda abantu abatsha, ingakumbi abantu basetyhini ukuba bakwazi ukufunda izakhono ezinokuthi zibancede ukuba bakwazi ukuziqalela awabo amashishini esingabalula kuzo isakhono sokukwazi ukuphatha nokusebenzisa imali,” uphefumle watsho omnye waqeqeshi beli ziko ogama lingu Sabelo Bill.
UBill uxelele intatheli yeGrocott’s Mail ukuba uyaziqhenya kakhulu ngomsebenzi abawenzayo beleli ziko kuba kunyaka nonyaka bakhupha abantu abakwaziyo ukuzimela, kwaye abantu abaqeshekayo kumzi-mveliso wezefashoni.
Eli ziko likwancedisana nabantwana abafuna ukuca ngabathungi abadumileyo ukuba bafezekise amaphupha wabo wokuba zigcali nengcaphephekazi ekuthungeni. “Ndingumntu okhulele phambi kukamakhulu wam engumthungi, okwakubukela umakhulu ethunga phambi kwam kwandenza ukuba ndikuthande kakhulu ukuthunga, kwaye ndibe nephupha lokuthungela osaziwayo,” utshilo omnye wabathungi ogama lingu Siphosethu Babe.
photo: Charlotte Mokonyane.
Utyatyadule wathi yena uzibona enguMaxhosa wesibini, yiyo lo nto efuna ukubhalisa ishishini lakhe ngokusesikweni khona ukuze abantu balazi kwaye balixhase. Ukwaxelele unondaba ukuba ufunde lukhulu kule nkqubo kwaye uyalucebisa ulutsha ukuba lubhalisele ukuba yinxalenye yale nkqubo.
The article has been corrected to reflect the following:
The StitchLab – a global grant project of the Rotary Club of Grahamstown Sunset- is an initiative intended to teach sewing skills to local women, aged 18-35, along with entrepreneurial and business skills. Working in partnership with Inkululeko, the Grahamstown Sunset Rotary Club raised the funds for a global grant with support from Rotary Clubs in the USA. It set up the StitchLab using a venue at Dakawa Art Centre. The first training cohort is complete, and the trainees showcased their products and newfound skills last week. They were eager to set up connections with possible buyers, employers or other interested parties.
The ten women who completed the training were provided with a stipend while they were training. The project manager and former president of the Grahamstown Sunset Rotary Club explained, “The stipend is there to assist the trainees with basic expenses that may keep them away from the training days. For some, it is to keep food on the table, or possibly for childcare, to enable them to attend. It is not a lot, but for many of the unemployed women, it gives them enough to attend all the training without any more financial stress.”
