When Rozia and her family of 7 arrived in Tajikistan – just one month before the previous government of Afghanistan fell – she wasn’t sure how they would make ends meet.
While it was good to feel safe, there were still plenty of challenges they had to face. “We didn’t have a place to stay for a while, my children were hungry, they weren’t in school, and the cost of rent was so high…It was so hard.”
Both Rozia’s husband and mother-in-law are sick, which means that the task of providing for her family fell primarily on her.
One day, Rozia received a call from the women’s council in Vahdat, who told her about Omega’s sewing course and asked if she wanted to take part. She was quick to say yes. Twice a week for three months, Rozia came to Omega’s Sewing Course, where she learned the basics of sewing, as well as how to make a number of different styles of clothing.
“It was so good – the teacher, Nargis, gave really good lessons…I was so pleased with her,” Rozia shares.
During the course, Rozia and her classmates were able to take home the three different outfits they sewed. Of course, as they sewed, these classmates became friends, too. “We talked about sewing, and we told stories…It was really good. We learned things from one another.”
Although the course has finished, Rozia continues to sew – making clothes for her own family members, but also taking orders from friends and neighbors, too. Right now, she only charges a little bit, but she has a vision for what she will do as she grows in her skills.
“I want to create a bigger business as I learn more, that, God willing, will help me to buy what I need at home,” she says.
Rozia’s creativity and hard work shine through her sewing, and she hopes others can have the same opportunity. “If someone hasn’t learned to sew before, they should come here – there is an excellent teacher, and everything they need for it is here, too.”
Our Sewing Course aims to empower and equip women – like Rozia – with the knowledge and skills they need to start their own seamstress businesses, with an emphasis on quality, creativity, and a desire to serve the community through training others in what they have learned.
Read more about our work at the Omega Women’s Center here.
