PFF Skills Training Center
A free, year-long course in tailoring skills designed to equip young women with skills to support themselves.
The PFF Skills Training Center is open to anyone who is unable to continue along the traditional education pathway, whether it’s because of a failure to pay school fees, a need to support family members, or something else.
Often, young people have to drop out of school for these reasons, and then, their options are severely limited. Many people in the Kasese area resort to illegal logging, early marriage, or other risky options.
But when they enter the Skills Training Program, our students develop specific skills that can then be used to develop self-sustaining careers.
Tailoring/Fashion Design
Our flagship program, inspired by lead teacher Medrine Muhindo, is in tailoring and fashion design. Medrine started this program out of a small shack with a few sewing machines, and it has since grown to encompass two buildings, with 16 sewing machines and three teachers.
Students learn the basic skills needed to become tailors in their communities. Cutting, pattern making, using and maintaining a sewing machine are all parts of the program.
The culmination of their year-long program is a fashion show. Their final project is to design and make a dress for themselves, which they wear in the fashion show.
Our graduates are encouraged to continue to develop their skills with the Paper Fig Foundation Alumni Association, where they can learn advanced skills and make new types of garments. Under the leadership of our newest teacher Brian Sonko, students have learned how to make jackets, backpacks, and more. Mr. Sonko listens to their visions and helps them create patterns and designs that bring those visions into reality.
The PFF Entrepreneurs
After they’ve learned the basics of tailoring, we invite our graduates to continue their education with Master Classes and guest workshops. This year, our focus will be on entrepreneurship: How can they take the skills they’ve learned and apply them to today’s markets?
It’s one thing to teach new skills. At PFF, we’ve gotten really good at teaching new skills. But what our graduates need is access to the markets to put those skills to good use, to achieve the ultimate goal: financial independence and therefore, empowerment and autonomy.
There are a lot of road blocks on the way to this financial liberty - limited internet access, a lack of good roads and transportation, and shipping challenges are all obstacles that need to be overcome to help our graduates live up to their potential. But with your help, we can offer graduates of our tailoring program training in advanced skills like finishing and marketing, as well as other applicable skills like internet literacy, pricing, and shipping.
