Our Journey

Women's tailoring program at Mzuzu UMC

Hannah Makala

Hannah Makala is a soft-spoken woman with a peaceful spirit, but joy dances in her smile and her eyes bounce from one person to the next with an open invitation to get to know her, to share life together and to laugh. She is shy, but loves to play; soft in manner but firm in discipline – a perfect teacher. Hannah volunteers as a Sunday School teacher at Mzuzu United Methodist Church and in a weekly program for orphans on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

I was immediately drawn in by Hannah’s quiet strength. And I learned over the course of a few days how committed and determined she is. Upon our second meeting I learned that she is also a primary school teacher. And later that same day I was surprised to discover that she is also one of nine women enrolled in the Mzuzu Women’s Tailoring School. I’m not sure how she manages all that she does in the space of a week, while maintaining her peaceful countenance and gracious spirit.

But my awe and appreciation for Hannah proved to be only part of the story in Mzuzu. When Jeff an I

Student at Mzuzu Tailoring Program

visited the Tailoring School on Monday morning (October 19) we met eight additional women who captured my heart and gave me a glimpse of possibilities for women in Malawi. Walking into the small concrete classroom was like Dorothy stepping out of the black and white Kansas house into the full color world of Oz. We have talked and read and imagined “women’s empowerment programs”, but until now they have been only ideas. But in the backyard of the pastor’s house, women are learning and training and excited about their futures. They are moving from black and white dependency to full color sustainability.

The church has managed the funds to hire a teacher and used donor funds to buy the treadle sewing machines being used. In this 12-month training, the women are learning to follow patterns, hand-stitch, and sew on the machines. Half of the class wore the suits they had made to pass the most recent exam. And when we arrived they were bent over, carefully sewing full-length skirts.

The rules posted on the wall state that the students will arrive on time, participate in morning devotion, and work diligently without disruption throughout the entire class. It was quickly apparent, that even the entry of two eager missionaries with a big camera and lots of questions would not disturb them from their work. Not a single woman ever put down her needle or thread as we learned about their work.

But each woman was keen to tell us about her motivation, speaking with the same quiet hope that I had witnessed in Hannah. Somehow these women find childcare every Monday through Thursday from 7:30am – 12:00pm, arrive on time and accomplish their training in addition to the many cultural, economic and daily demands on their time. Their ability to succeed in this training make me confident in their future success as they become tailors in their communities.

Jeff and I hated to leave them. We had so many questions about their challenges and their dreams. And I know Jeff is anxious to return to provide some basic business training that will stand alongside their new expertise in order to assure their success.

Credit for this ministry is shared across the church – the pastor’s vision, the teacher’s willingness, and generous donors, but most of all the strong and determined women who commit each day to making their dreams reality.