Case study - FASHION LAB
Grace’s story
“I love being part of the Mayamiko family, to all our friends and donors, thank you for your help and donations and please keep supporting us. You are changing our lives.”
Widowed since 2004, Grace had been taking care of her children on her own, trying to make ends meet working as a maid. With no other support and little education, she saw no hope for her family to escape poverty.
Grace joined the Mayamiko programme in January 2015: with no prior sewing experience, she dedicated herself with passion and hard work, and it paid off! She graduated in July and now is working as workshop assistant, absorbing and learning from everyone around her.
The assistant role is helping her refine her skills, understand the garment making process better, while earning a living, paying for her children's school fees and saving some money to access her sewing machine grant.
She is also learning English, so one day she can make garments for foreign customers too. It is hard to imagine how difficult Grace's life used to be: she has always had the most beautiful smile on her face, but now she has even more reasons to be joyful.
In 2019, the Mayamiko Fashion Lab relocated to a different part of town, and Grace took the plunge and start off on her own. Everyone was delighted to see her move on to the next phase of her life - no matter what, she will always be part of the Mayamiko Trust family.
“I wanted to inspire my children and show them there is a way out of poverty, and that is through skills and education. This is what happened to me: I have now skills that I can take with me wherever I go, and with my work I can ensure my children complete their education, so the poverty cycle can be broken.”