In Sierra Leone, our newest Sewing Peace partnership with Village Care Initiatives has officially launched, educating women on how to sew using donated machines from donors like you. By donating machines directly to community outreach centers like Village Care Initiatives, we can educate people while providing the tools necessary to put this education into action.

Village Care Initiative is spearheading basic sewing instruction bolstered by education in hygiene, sanitation, and self-care guided by WASH. WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) is a comprehensive approach aimed at ensuring universal access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation facilities, and proper hygiene practices.

Program director Shed Jah on how his program is tackling these issues: “We strive to provide comprehensive WASH programming in the communities we serve based on the unique needs of each community. Whether it is a project that provides all aspects of WASH – from improved water access, upgraded sanitation services, and hygiene education in schools and healthcare facilities to menstrual hygiene management – or simply one or two of these components, all our projects are sustainable, and the communities are able to independently support the resources and programs we provide.

Many of our community projects include an income-generation component around the small-scale manufacturing of WASH-related products such as eco-soap or reusable menstrual hygiene pads. Often, these products are difficult to find or people simply can’t afford them. By teaching community members how to produce these products, we not only ensure that hygiene materials are available to them, but that they can also be sold for household income and donated back into the community programs.”

Thank you to all our donors and supporters who are key in procuring these sewing machines that are changing the lives of women in Sierra Leone and their local communities.