Empower girls in Niger for change via education

The Home Economics classes that our Charity Association finances at the Hampaté Bâ School in Niamey introduce underprivileged girl students to the world of sewing. Besides encouraging their creativity, sewing strengthens their focus, fine motor skills, and hand-eye co-ordination. It is also exciting and empowering for the girls to create an item from scratch all by themselves!

By nature, sewing is the perfect tool to fight poverty: it can be done at home and it requires little investment. As a business, it serves the family as well as the local community. Therefore, the sewing classes we support at Hampaté Bâ School also focus on entrepreneurial issues, conveying basic concepts of pricing and business development. The goal being for the girls to acquire enough confidence, knowledge and autonomy to be able to start their own textile-based business if they wish to do so.

But there is more to these classes than meets the eye: the girls also learn to follow directions and practice math skills. The embroidery classes are especially very demanding. Students are required to follow detailed instructions to learn the different embroidery stitches and the precise techniques needed for each one to obtain different effects. Regularity is essential as well as skills in positioning the needle and the thread and also the way to hold the fabric tight or loose in relation to the needlework, We are talking about artistry and precision at a high level!

Following directions is critical to any employment environment, essential in education, and basic in life. The measuring skills that come into play in planning fabric needs, placing a pattern on fabric, understanding body space, etc. help girls acquire practical math skills.

The sewing classes we sponsor at Hampaté Bâ School have recently had another unexpected spin-off: the girls’ enthusiasm for sewing rubbed off on the boys and, very quickly, the sewing sessions became co-ed!! Boys were learning to embroider and even though, at the beginning they had a harder time to learn (their small hand coordination not developing as soon as in girls), they soon got the hang of it and rose to the occasion! So, as Mariama put it : “Can boys sew? They sure can !”

Soon the entire school will benefit from this newly gained skill. The upcoming project is to stitch new covers for the school’s 20 laptops in the computer room!

We are very proud of this wonderfully rewarding project which has given opportunities to the girls and has given them the opportunity to be leaders and coach the boys ! We thank you so much for your donations which allow us to give our underprivileged students ideas for their future and an opening towards jobs to support themselves and their families. We need you to keep these projects going!

With your help, we can continue setting up worthwhile projects like this one. Please continue your donations and give now! All donations help us and the students immensely. A little goes a long way. We are so grateful for your generosity and kind gestures to give these students a better life.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE! BE THE CHANGE!!