Queenstown women take up sewing to escape poverty

May 19, 2008 News

The Queenstown Food For The Poor Sewing Group initiative was born out of the need to reduce the high rate of unemployment in the Queenstown community on the Essequibo Coast. It represents the initiative of FTP Executive Director Leon Davis.

Last January, as part of a Food For The Poor Guyana Inc outreach programme, Mr. Davis visited Queenstown, and during this visit he realised that there was a dire need for skills training activities in the community.
Such training would help reduce the high unemployment rate and poverty in the area, he concluded.

Guided by a mandate to empower the poor, Food For The Poor worked to address this issue. And within three weeks of the initial visit, the Queenstown Sewing Group was launched.
At present there are 24 students attending classes three days per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) at the Queenstown Community Centre. The students are taught both the theoretical and practical aspects of garment construction (the construction of pants, shirts, skirts and dresses).
Emphasis is also being placed on the care and maintenance of the sewing machine. These classes are expected to last for six months, after which there will be a graduation ceremony for the participants.
During the six-month training, the students will be assessed on their attendance, approach to their work, and behaviour.