In Tanzania, the local Moja team works with women who are excited to upskill in sewing and maybe even start their own businesses. Here are four of those women.
First, there’s something we’d like to share about Tanzanian culture. Often, people are referred to as mama (mum), baba (dad), dada (sister) or kaka (brother). So because our sewers are also mothers, we call them Mama followed by the name of their youngest child. They call us brothers and sisters, but as our Tanzanian team are a little older than us and we respect them a lot, we mostly use the parent terms.
Mama Ismael
She’s the cheekiest of the sewing team, but also a natural leader. Mama Ismael has passed on her pattern, cutting and sewing skills and is an absolute sewing star. We’re really proud to work with her, especially because she’d love to continue a career in sewing and one day even open her own clothing shop. She also made the concept, design and first sample of the very first reusable sanitary pad.
Mama Stanley
Mama Stanley has one of the biggest hearts we’ve ever come across. She’s faced a lot of struggle, but throughout it all, she’s protected and taken care of her children. When we met her last, she was working on improving her computer skills and she’s come a long way – especially with Microsoft Word and Excel! It’s her dream to open a stationary shop one day, and we believe she has the grit and determination to make it happen.
Mama Gilo
Last but definitely not least Mama Gilo is our last partner for this foundation project. She lives with her mother and her 3 children. She also has some pretty inspiring dreams. She would love to open her own sewing shop where she wants to teach others how to do what she does best! She also dreams of having a bigger place for her family. We’re very happy to have her as a partner!
Queen
Queen Last but definitely not least is Queen, she’s the latest addition to our team of seamstresses for this project. She’s got a young and entrepreneurial spirit and one of her dreams is to have her own shop. She’s also got a big heart and wants to build a nice house for her mom and also wants to help her young brothers. Her ability as a seamstress is unmatched and she’s made all the backpacks in the picture!
