Sewaid » Uganda

Sewaid activity up-date August 2024

Tony Castley — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 23:53:56 +0000

Dear Sewaid Friends,

Kiribati Update

Erimeta has advised that they have started their third series of sewing lessons, and once again, they were sold out. From all reports, it appears to be going very well.

I have had an enquiry from Kiritimati Island (locally called Christmas Island), which is one of the Kiribati islands, 2,000 km away from Tarawa, pleading with us to send a training team to them. I told the lady (the wife of a United Church minister ) that we could not do that in the foreseeable future. However, I contacted Erimeta, and she says that they will eventually be able to roll the program out to the main islands, including Christmas Island.

This week, I sent the pallet of fabric down to the Sydney dock to be put in a DFAT container that will be shipped to Tarawa next week. It was good to get this away. I won’t bore you with the problems and costs we had trucking it to the wharf, but we got it there and on time!

David O’Toole, AMAK’s DFAT helper, is in Brisbane this week, and I sent him two parcels of stuff Erimeta asked for. The items were mainly rotary cutters and blades, scissors, lots of embroidery thread colours, lots of unpickers, and some sewing machine spare parts.

Timor Leste

The container with our fabric and machines arrived in Dili this week. The fabric will be distributed to all the Sewaid sewing groups. The shipment also included some new machines for Mira and Sister Sabina. Hopefully, this will keep them sewing for some time !

Congo DRC

SewAid has just paid the $2,100 six monthly rent for our workshop in Goma. We hope that eventually, we can obtain premises shared with other charities, schools or such like, so that we can avoid renting a building just for our sewing workshop. Initially, Penny was hoping that her computer training program would pay half the rent, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out. However, the school bag sewing program is starting to find some traction, and hopefully, sales and interest in this excellent program will continue to grow.

Uganda

We had lunch with Janepher Kintu, the School for Life Principal when she was in Sydney, and we again discussed the embroidery machine that they would like. Since then, we have had some new quotes from the sewing machine shops in Kampala and have also looked into sending one from here, but as yet, the costs are still a little beyond Sewaid’s current expenditure program. However, we will get them one eventually.

thanks and regards

Tony

Tony Castley OAM

SewAID

61 243843988

61 2414801888

tonyc@sewgroup.com

www.sewaid.com

www.sewgroup.com

Pallets of our fabric at the Rotary warehouse

2023 Wrap-up, 2024 Plans

Tony Castley — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 03:14:31 +0000

2023 WRAP-UP, 2024 PLANS

During the COVID period, it has been hard to maintain our workshops and our training programs; however, during 2023, we were able to get things started again, and we have some interesting plans for 2024.

Kiribati:

The container packed by Rotary Donations in Kind Vic. ( DIK ) , finally got away in November. SewAid filled about 1/3 rd of this 40′ container with a wide range of goods for our projects in Kiribati. This included 14 new sewing machines and overlockers plus 30 good second-hand machines. Also included was a brand new Singer high-speed industrial and a high-speed industrial overlocker, along with a very large amount of fabric and sewing accessories. We also shipped wall units for storage, and DIK donated 12 tables and 30 chairs for us. We also shipped a large shipment of Days for Girls kits on behalf of Ryde DFG, and cases of school sports equipment donated by the Rotarian Mr. Doug Vincent.

Our part of the container freight cost us $6,000 as the freight cost to these small Pacific countries is very expensive. This container should arrive in January, and a SewAid training team visit in April 2024 will follow up. Many thanks to DIK Melbourne, who greatly helped us with this shipment.

Cambodia: Our sewing room at Sustainable Cambodia has only two sewers, but they have had a busy year, making and selling 1,600 Days for Girls kits. Now they are running low on Flannelette, so we are sending some with people visiting there in February; plus, we have sent 30 rolls to Melbourne to be shipped along with a shipment organised by a Rotary club in Melb. We bought them a new Juki Industrial this past year and serviced and repaired their other machines.

Nepal: In November, we gave $10,000 to the Didi Foundation in Nepal to buy new industrial machines for their sewing workshop. This foundation is run by an amazing Rotary friend, Jan Prior, and Jan has been asking me for years if we could send a teaching team some time. So, we have put this on our waiting list, and I know our volunteers will be keen to go to Nepal. Sandra and I did a lot of volunteer work in Nelpal 20 years ago, and we have great memories of our work there, as the people are so gentle and appreciative. Jan is planning to purchase the machines in February when she visits, and we will have some photos and more details after that.

Uganda: Early in 2023 we upgraded the machines at our workshop at the School of Life ( SFL) in Uganda. We bought three new high-speed industrial machines and a new high-speed overlocker for them. We purchased these from a local sewing machine shop in Kampala, which gave us good service by delivering the machines, assembling them and showing the sewers how to use and maintain them.

In July, we had Rotarian Doug Vincent from my Rotary club visit Uganda with his son, and the whole story of this very eventful visit is way too long for here. However, a lot was achieved in that Doug took five teachers from his Ambrose school project in Kenya, up to our SewAid workshop at the SFL in Uganda for two weeks of sewing training. This went extremely well, with the senior SFL sewing manager, Maureen Nabawsi, succeeding in teaching them to a reasonably high standard in just two weeks. SewAid assisted by paying the two weeks’ wages and purchasing some bedding and necessities for the accommodation.

However, the six new sewing machines and overlockers we had shipped over from Australia for Doug’s school in Kenya were stolen at one stage of the journey and finally arrived at SFL,but unfortunately, after the teachers had returned to Kenya. Anyway, good news: we have just heard that these machines and equipment have finally made their way from Uganda to the Ambrose school in Kenya, and the teachers there can finally start sewing !!

Sandra, Simon and I, very much enjoyed the special movie night held by the School for Life last month in Sydney. What Annabelle has achieved here for the children of Uganda is simply amazing. 2,500 students now !!! And it was great to see all those uniforms all made in our Sewaid workshop.

Congo (DRC): Penny has advised that the two new industrial Juki machines we bought recently are working out well. We also paid for a week’s training from a local expert, as it is too dangerous for us to contemplate sending a teacher team. The shipment of sewing accessories from Simon in Hong Kong arrived in November, and they have successfully commenced making the school bags for their new School Bag project.

SewAid is currently paying the rent for this SewAid workshop, plus supplying all the machines and equipment.

Fiji,

Also, in 2023, we supplied a new high-speed industrial sewing machine and a high-speed industrial overlocker to our SewAid workshop at Koriopeta. We purchased these from Glenn, the local sewing machine man in Lautoka, who gave us good service in installing the machines and teaching the sewers how to use and service them.

Refugees:

Congratulations to Rhonda and the team for completing three sewing courses for refugees on the Gold Coast during 2023. Unfortunately, our refugee program in Granville, Sydney, closed after just one course, as we could no longer use the Ukraine hall. However, as reported earlier, five of the twelve Ugandian ladies we taught have secured jobs with a sewing business in Sydney, which is a very satisfactory result, and I am sure the others are enjoying the skills they learned. We also gave all the students sewing machines for their use at home.

2024

As mentioned above, we are sending a training team to Kiribati in April, and they will be there for two weeks. We will be setting up a permanent sewing workshop and training teachers who will continue to offer free sewing and craft courses.

We will also visit our SewAid workshop in Fiji on the way to Kiribati.

In February, we have fabric shipments planned for Cambodia and East Timor, and while no other team visits are planned as yet, perhaps in the 2nd half of 2024 we might be able to organise a 2nd team trip for 2024.

Once again, a big thanks to our volunteers and supporters and on behalf of the Sewaid team, I wish you all a Happy and Rewarding 2024.

Tony Castley

Photos below: Click to enlarge

Bags and purses made at Sustainable Cambodia :

Sewing Classes in Sydney for Ukraine Refugees

Sewing Classes for Refugees in Queensland

Volunteer Sewing Teachers wanted for 2023 projects.

Tony Castley — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 03:46:15 +0000

We currently have some vacant positions for volunteer sewing teachers for the following projects:

Sydney – teaching sewing to refugees – February 2023

Kiribati – teaching sewing or crafts – May 2023

Uganda- teachers sewing teachers from across Africa – July 2023.

Priority will be given to teachers on our existing database but we would also like to hear from new volunteers.

Interested to learn more : please email Tony Castley at tonyc@sewgroup.com

New machines delivered to School for Life Uganda

Tony Castley — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 06:26:09 +0000

Three new Juki high speed electronic industrial sewing machines, and one high speed four threader overlocker purchased by SewAid , have now been delivered to School for Life in Katuuso Uganda. The sewers are very excited to have received these latest industrial machines which have the new build- in motors with electronic speed control . These machines will greatly improve their garment quality and productively.

(above ) New high speed , 4 thread overlocker.

3 new Juki industrial machines

One of the SFL sewers testing the new machine

Mechanic setting up one of the new Juki machines

Container arrives in Uganda

Tony Castley — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 07:46:02 +0000

Our 40′ container which we shipped at the end of November has finally arrived at the School for Life in Katuuso Uganda after its 3 1/2 month journey
Much of the goods that we sent have not yet been unpacked and assembled , but we note the new Singer Heavy Duty sewing machines are already out and operating. We heard from Winnie the sewingroom manager that they are absolutely thrilled with the new sewing machines and new overlockers.
Many thanks again to Glenda who donated the Singer sewing machines and many thanks of course to Panalpina for donating the freight.
Also congratulations to the School for Life and Jessica especially , and to the team at SSS Pty Ltd who worked so hard for so long to get this container shipped.

Uganda Container shipped finally

Tony Castley — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:17:51 +0000

After almost 3 months of preparing and waiting, this week we finally packed and sent off the 40′ container to the School for Life Uganda.
For two months now the 26 pallets of donated goods have sat at our warehouse waiting for the CoC customs approval (Certificate of Conformity). Congratulations to Jessica Ledieu from SFL for her persistence is chasing down this very complicated CoC approval.

This container has a huge variety of goods which will all be of great benefit to the SFL schools in Uganda, such as hospital beds, two generators, 2 photo copiers, wheel barrows, chainsaws, numerous qtys of tools, books, toys, bicycles, and a huge plastic children playground. And for our SewAID workshop at the Katuuso school for Life, we sent six new heavy duty sewing machines, two new overlockers. and two 200mtr rolls of Polypropylene fabric.

Many thanks to our staff at SSS P/L who loaded the container in just 3 hours , and a very special thanks to Panalpina Shipping Agents who have kindly donated the freight for this container to Africa. The container will take about 3 months to reach the schools , it gets transhipped in Singapore and India, and then when it reaches Mombasa in Kenya, it must be transported by truck across Kenya to Uganda.

Thanks also to all the many people who have donated goods, on been involved with the stacking and packing, and it just wonderful to see this container finally get away !
regards Tony Castley

Busy time for Sewaid

Tony Castley — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 03:01:59 +0000

Busy time for Sewaid. Currently we have 3 projects on the go.
Ba Fiji.
We have six of our lovely volunteers teachers in Fiji this week, teaching the Ba Women’s forum ladies, how to sew school uniforms and more advanced bags and purses. They are Alacoque Welsh project manager. Tina Latham head teacher, Jennifer Fletcher, Gay Grillmeier and Cheryl Nelson.
Tina also took the opportunity to teach the Days for Girls hygiene training and as a result five Ba ladies are now qualified in this.
The photo is of a new complicated compendium that the women are making for a Government order. They are using local materials and each compendium takes up to a day to make. This is our third visit to this workshop and it is going exceptionally well- and they are have so many orders for work, they can hardly keep up! Congratulation to our wonderful teachers.
Uganda
This weekend we have a team of volunteers from the SchoolforLife foundation at our warehouse preparing 1000’s of items we will send to Uganda in a 40’ container in the next week or so. Many thanks to Panalpina who have donated this freight to Uganda. We will have photos and more detail in our next report.

Cambodia
We have just sent 10 rolls of PUL fabric along with some other Days for Girls supplies to Melbourne to be included in a container that DIK in Melbourne is sending to Cambodia. These supplies will go to our Sewaid workshop in Pursat. There will be more about this in later reports.

Tony Castley

New Cover-stitch machine for SFL Uganda

Tony Castley — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 05:25:29 +0000

There was lots of excitement for our sewers at the School For Life Uganda, when Annabelle brought them a new Janome Cover-Stitch machine from SewAID Australia. This machine was kindly donated to SewAID by Janome and again thanks Janome for this generous donation.
The cover-stitch machine will add a new professional finish to sleeves and hems especially on stretch fabrics, and will further enhance the professionalism of the clothing they manufacture at our SewAID workshop at the Katuuso SFL school.

SewAID teachers Glenda Bones and Sharon Tunks have just arrived at the SFL in Katuuso Uganda to make preparations for a full SewAID team that will be going there in June. Sharon and Glenda will be able to teach them how to use the new Cover stitch machine.

Roll over of our SewAID workers:
So as to be able to involve more local women with the chance to learn to sew and to earn some money, we are currently working on finding jobs in the local factories for some of the sewers in our workshop- and in this regard we are finding our sewers are so qualified and experienced, the factories are snapping them up. Then in June we will be teaching a new team of about 25 local women to sew and to be part of the team that produces the SFL’s beautiful Kumi label garments and craft items.

It is quite amazing how we can take local women, many of them who have never used a sewing machine or even held a pair of scissors, and teach them to be competent sewers in our workshop.
Attention volunteer sewing teachers, registered on our Sewaid data base,
We have some vacancies for the June team, and so if you would like details please give me a call
Tony Castley

Photos below:
Sharon arriving at Katuuso and holding one of the sewers new baby !, Welcome signs for Glenda and Sharon, and the Sewers admiring the new Janome Cover stitch machine.