Category Archives: Sewing Partners

Sewing Partners

Incarnations of Unwanted Sewing Machines: From Landfill Candidate to Instrument of Economic Recovery

by Patricia Hamill
Spring 2013 InGear

It’s true. Most high-end products and appliances these days are more expensive to fix than to replace and, though this is an uncomfortable reality, it is one that most Americans have become used to. So, until we can address and rectify this wasteful trend in production, what is one to do with machines destined to be discarded? No one really wants to add to landfills and groundwater pollution even if replacement is the only economical option; but these things can’t be stored in a “cloud” like data.

newtonsewingFor teachers in the Governor Livingston High School (GLHS) in Berkeley Heights, NJ, this problem became a pressing issue. Because of the high cost of labor in the United States, it became necessary to replace the aging sewing machines in the school’s Home Economics class rather than to repair them. It was not, however, an option for the school to simply toss the rejected machines in the garbage. Having heard about P4P’s programs and realizing that sewing machines are part of the organization’s collection focus, GLHS chose to donate rather than dump their 15 sewing machines.

It is not often that a group, school, or organization is able to support economic development in another country while also ensuring that American students get training in needed skills. While this option became a reality for GLHS, there was still the issue of repairing the machines for use once they found a stopping point at P4P. Mark and Martha Hall represent the unseen portion of the process that gets the sewing machines from rejection and collection to distribution. Martha recalls her initial contact with P4P: “I first learned of P4P when my local YMCA did a bicycle collection in 2006. We had the typical basement full of outgrown and unused bicycles. I brought several over to that collection.” When she went to the web site to learn more about P4P’s collections and partners, she learned that sewing machines were also in demand. This got her full attention: “I like the idea that unused sewing machines can be put back to good use in teaching young people how to sew and especially to help women set up independent and productive sewing businesses.”

spring2013elSalvadorSewer1Martha’s interest in sewing developed in her Home Economics class as a child, continued into her activities in the Girl Scouts, and evolved into a passion for creating quilts and quilted art. It took some time, but, in 2011, Martha was able to gather her quilters’ guild members and schedule a sewing-machine collection. With the help of P4P staff member Gary Michel, Martha and her husband Mark oversaw the event, and, thanks to the participation of the guild members and public outreach, 16 sewing machines arrived to await new homes.

Many of our readers are not privy to the work required after we have finished a day’s collecting. P4P is not just a transportation center for bicycles and sewing machines. It is a stop point for evaluation and rehabilitation of the cycles and machines and we take very seriously the importance of providing reliable and lasting goods as well as access to resources for repairing these after they have arrived at our partners’ bases.

It was during the above 2011 collection that a casual conversation led to Mark becoming P4P’s go-to man for the repairs of donated machines. According to Martha, they established an efficient and thorough process with Mark being the overall repairman and Martha being in charge of cleaning the parts and doing the test runs of finished machines. Ultimately all of the machines are cleaned, their gears greased, and all moving parts oiled. Dried out rubber O-rings are replaced so that bobbin winders run smoothly. New needles are a must. Any machines too far gone to be fixed are used for parts. Finally, each machine is tagged and ready for David or Gary to retrieve them for shipping to waiting partners.

The particular machines from the Governor Livingston High School were destined for a group of women living in the barrio Rosario Tablon in the county of Tenancingo, El Salvador, a country where P4P’s partner CESTA has run other environmental programs. Tenancingo (Tenantzincu or the “place of the little valleys”) is located north of San Salvador and is counted as part of an extension of the “department” or region of Cuscatlán, created for the Yaquis and Pipil Indians. The twelve years of armed conflict that began in 1980 and engulfed all of El Salvador severely affected this region, causing this county to have one of the highest rates of poverty in the entire country. Of the approximately 7,488 inhabitants, 1,195 people are located in urban surroundings and 6,293 live in rural environs. CESTA’s mission is to support the creation of a sustainable economy and improved lifestyle for these people.

spring2013elSalvadorSewer2The opportunities for income here are limited and CESTA and the mayor’s office of the town work together to generate more options for people in the rural locations of Rosario Tablon, Pepeto, Corral Viejo, and Rosario Perico. Tenancingo is currently best known for its palm plantations and the production of palm hats, which are braided by hand by the women who live in this area and sold in Cojutepeque as well as in San Salvador. There are other opportunities for income generation like ownership of small commercial stores, various types of agricultural activity such as pig farming, and seasonal work, mechanical repair and security services but, just as with any developing infrastructure, there must be economic growth. When the municipal government realized the potential that the influx of sewing machines held, they requested that CESTA increase the number to about 30 with a plan to create small factories for sewing and dressmaking where many women and young people would be employed.

So it is that the ten sewing machines from the 15 collected in New Jersey arrived fully repaired and ready for work in Rosario Tablon, where the group who received these sewing machines constructed a cultural center in which different sewing skills such as embroidery, dressmaking, and tailoring are practiced. The parts of the unsalvageable 5 machines were incorporated into these 10 or set aside for future repairs. Nothing wasted. The people awaiting the future deliveries of machines may never know that their future employment was influenced by the choice of one American school to incorporate global awareness into its own financial considerations.

If our readers had not before comprehended the impact that a few Americans and their seemingly obsolete possessions have had and will continue to have on international economic development, empowerment of women, and skills acquisition for the young, the above system of collection, repair, and distribution hopefully illuminated the tangible contributions of P4P and its partners to this change. For the many of us who did not know who works behind the scenes ensuring that contributions are truly ready for immediate use and long-term continuity, this revelation offers a new dimension to the image of who it is that steps up and gets involved in our mission.

For more information: P4P CESTA page, CESTA home page (Spanish)

Nicaragua, Sewing Partners

Sewing in Nicaragua

s4
Juan Carlos and Migdalia DĂĄvila, live in Diriamba, Carazo, Nicaragua, they are both 58 years old and have 1 son who is 11 years old. Until November of 2008 Juan Carlos worked as an office assistant for a private company in Jinotepe. Even though he had a steady job he worked as a tailor at night to make some extra money for his family. Since the help of the sewing machines from Pedals for Progress came 2 years ago, Juan Carlos and his wife Migdalia have been building a small side business so that if Juan Carlos lost his job they would have another source of income. So when he was told that he was no longer needed in his position they were ready. Today Juan Carlos and his family are able to make ends meet with their sewing. They sell dresses, blouses and men’s clothing. They are grateful to Pedals for Progress for the high quality yet affordable machines P4P provides in Nicaragua.

Peace Corps, Sewing Partners, St. Vincent

From Iowa to St. Vincent

A Peace Corps Volunteer Brings more than Good Will to an Island School
by Patricia Hamill
Winter 2011 InGear

As you may have read on our web site, we received a wonderful letter from Peace Corps volunteer Liz Deppe thanking us for making it possible for the school where she teaches to acquire 20 sewing machines. Located on the island of St. Vincent, the Barrouallie Secondary School (BSS) is the fortunate institution to welcome Liz and, hence, receive the machines. Originally from Ames, Iowa, Liz has only been in St. Vincent for 8 months as an assistant to the teachers in the art and reading courses; however, in that short time, she has made an enormous difference. Having known about P4P from our work in Iowa, she decided to contact us about donations of sewing machines to incorporate into the curriculum.

What can they do for employment without this skill? While banana production has dominated the economy, the government has been seeking ways of diversifying so that Vincentians do not continue to be vulnerable to price fluctuations and crop diseases. Tourism is an industry that has grown widely, but not everyone is able to profit from this type of expansion. This is where the importance of a solid education backed up by practical vocational skills comes into our story. According to Liz, “That first project and many more projects the students at BSS will work on are teaching them more than just how to sew. They are learning patience, creativity, problem-solving skills and a sense of accomplishment.”

While the machines are not used for production but strictly for classroom learning, there is hope that more machines can be acquired so that families may be able to purchase them and begin their own businesses. At the very least, the students have a marketable skill to offer alongside the knowledge they gain from their studies. Liz has witnessed firsthand the lasting effect that tangible results from focused effort provide: “What I believe is the most rewarding part of our newly created sewing program is a sense of accomplishment. At a school with little resources and many struggling students, it is amazing to watch a student who has never felt proud show you what they have accomplished. Their face beams as they hold up the finished product, something they can use and show off.”

It is part of our mission to do the utmost to send our shipments as economically as possible while striving to get the sewing machines and bikes out to those in need as quickly as possible. P4P was able to ensure that the sewing machines could make it to the school and with as little financial burden as possible by sending them via sea rather than air. The cost was demonstrably lower at $10 apiece. If all goes well, we may be able to continue this relationship not only with the school but also expand to other institutions on the island. It is Peace Corps Volunteers like Liz and people like our partners and contributors who think progressively, initiate programs, and give support that make our efforts so successful.

Georgia, Sewing Partners

P4P reaches a new country: Georgia

Pedals for Progress partners with a wide variety of organizations to promote and aid sustainable economic development throughout the world. One of our partnerships this year was with International Relief & Development (IRD), a NGO with truly global reach that provides $500 million in development assistance in nearly 40 countries annually. Our collaboration with IRD involved a joint program of theirs with the United Nations to aid more than 800 refugee families in Georgia displaced during that country’s 2008 conflict with Russia.

P4P was pleased to be able to help that effort by providing 82 donated sewing machines. The shipment cleared customs in early September and the machines have by now been fully distributed. Our hope is that the sewing machines will in some measure encourage entrepreneurship and return self-sufficiency to families who had been forced from their homes during the fighting and returned to find their belongings stolen or destroyed. Most of the aid was distributed in the Shida Kartli region of central Georgia (just south of contested South Ossetia).

Below is a thank you note forwarded to us by IRD:

“I am Iamze Chutkerashvili, a solitary mother and I am looking after my two sons alone. I am a teacher and my salary is not enough for keeping the family. Without the assistance from non-governmental humanitarian organizations as IRD our life would have been much more difficult.

“I have already received a solid assistance from IRD and I was amazed and very excited when I saw your representative once again in my family with quilts, sewing machine, and sewing kits.

“As you know our village is one of the villages from the former buffer zone and during the war in August 2008 almost every family were damaged and looted, so you can easily understand how important such kind of assistance for me is.

“I want to say once again that all beneficiaries in my village are very thankful to IRD for the assistance.”

As much as we wish it were otherwise, Pedals for Progress simply can’t get the items our domestic supporters donate to all the places in the world where people desperately need a leg up. Partners like IRD help us help those whom it would normally be prohibitively difficult for us to reach alone.

Guatemala, Sewing Partners

Fashion and Practicality Co-exist Thanks to FIDESMA and P4P

by Patricia Hamill
Summer 2012 InGear

Señora Antonietta Mesa
Señora Antonietta Mesa

Señora Antonieta Mesa and her sister Señora Irma Mesa were quite welcoming when David and Gary arrived to visit their sewing studios. These ladies clearly each know what market they want to focus on and how to keep their businesses thriving. Señora Irma makes her living by sewing school uniforms and selling to or doing custom work for the middle-class families of the town and she does her best to donate what she can to the poor families who cannot yet earn enough to purchase her clothes. Looking at the dresses made by Señora Antonieta really dispels the idea that only the very poor or unsophisticated are influenced by the outreach work of FIDESMA and P4P.

Señora Irma Mesa
Señora Irma Mesa

Señora Antonieta originally started her business using cheap plastic machines from an unknown source but, through the micro-credit provided by FIDESMA, she was able to get an older model heavy-duty machine from them. It could sew through thicker layers of more expensive cloth. This advantage enabled her to create the much coveted wedding dresses seen in high-end bridal magazines and the very necessary lovely gowns for young women’s “sweet 15” parties. Yes, 15 not 16. The age may differ, but the idea is the same. Señora Antonieta does rely on yardage from overseas for the more intricate orders, but she is often able to make use of fabric made in Guatemala. And these knock-offs don’t compete with the real thing because the stores that sell these types of dresses are nowhere near these ladies or their customers. It’s fair competition for a fair price. Imagine being able to own something exactly like the design you saw in Vogue or Cosmopolitan for the equivalent of $500? No, it’s not cheap, but much cheaper than the real thing, available locally, and excellent quality.

This duo of sisters contributes to the clothing of daily use and to the elegance and beauty of special occasions. They apply wise business practices that can be implemented with little impact on the environment. Local products, personal service, reasonable prices, sustainable practices—all because of P4P’s machines and FIDESMA’s micro credit and determined distribution practices.

bicycles, Guatemala, Sewing Partners

Spotlight: FIDESMA

by Patricia Hamill
Summer 2012 InGear

FIDESMA has established facilities in San Andrés Itzapa from which it implements its programs in all of the surrounding communities. Established in 1998, the foundation has a very clear mission: to promote the sustainable development of families and communities by initiating or supporting programs and projects in the areas of education, with technical assistance and economic aid for conservation and protection of the environment in the rural regions of Guatemala.

One grant from Japan and one from a Canadian monastery together established FIDESMA. Japan’s participation in this project enabled the foundation to erect their administrative building complete with computer labs. The foundation was also able to build satellite labs called “capacity centers” in the more remote hill regions and small towns. Each satellite lab has 4–5 computers. These labs are used solely for the purposes of teaching technological skills to those interested in this type of occupation.

The agricultural arm of the foundation exists thanks to a monastic order located in Quebec. The order had land in San Andrés and, once they became aware of what FIDESMA was setting out to accomplish, they donated a portion of this property to the foundation.

Bicycles for sale at the local market
Bicycles for sale at the local market

P4P partnered with FIDESMA in ’99 and, since this collaboration began, there have been more than 6,000 bicycles and close to 200 sewing machines shipped. The initial proceeds of these sales were not for discretionary spending but to use for the handicapped of the region. The unfortunate reality of life there is that children who have any type of disability, from mild physical handicaps to severe mental and physical debilitations have no opportunity for aid. There is little or no birth control in this region as well, so a severely handicapped child is most likely part of a large family, thus there is often even less money and time to attend to specialized needs. FIDESMA works to assist these families in understanding and accessing proper nutrition and consistent hygienic practices—especially for those who are especially incapacitated and unable to travel.

It’s really quite amazing how the sale of an American bike actually has enabled such products as fresh, local vegetables or a toothbrush and toothpaste to become available in a remote region in Guatemala and help an overwhelmed parent properly care for her disabled child. While these families still receive assistance, the proceeds of sales of bikes and sewing machines now also enable FIDESMA to expand their interests.

An eager sewing student in the FIDESMA sewing classroom.
An eager sewing student in the FIDESMA sewing classroom.

FIDESMA is fundamentally concerned with education and creating or nurturing one’s capacity to work at regular jobs or start a business. There are carpentry, baking, computer, and plumbing courses to choose from. In fact, the foundation buildings include dormitories in order to lessen students’ concern over daily travel or lodging. When you think about the combination of bicycle travel and lodging for students, two elements of this economic expansion stand out: FIDESMA is not contributing to excessive fuel consumption and is preventing pollution of the local environment.

This preservation of the community on the personal and environmental levels shows in the beaming faces in the photographs that Señora Margarita flashed before us on the screen. The audience was treated to images of small children proudly showing their perfectly sized bikes and the teenagers sporting bright red or sleek black trail bikes. Moms happily roll by with youngsters mounted behind them. One of the most memorable images was a testament to the pride that people develop when they earn rather than receive their possessions: A group of young men sporting plastic piggy banks filled with the money that they had earned and saved in order to purchase their first bikes.

A brother and sister saved their change to purchase their own bicycles.
A brother and sister saved their change to purchase their own bicycles.

FIDESMA brings opportunity to you if you cannot come to them. Members of the foundation will take bikes out to villagers who cannot easily get to them to make the purchases. They also set up groups of bikes during feasts and holidays where there is guaranteed to be a crowd. Walk miles to celebrate? Ride home on affordable transportation.

P4P just shipped its 13th container to Guatemala. This is a long-term and strong relationship that promises to remain that way and we hope that Señora Margarita and FIDESMA’s executive director Señora Isabel Salazer will be willing to return to Hunterdon County to update us on the progress of these programs and treat us to more images of these working programs and independent business owners.

bicycles, Sewing Partners, Tanzania

Unity In Diversity Foundation

by Herman Longo

UNITY IN DIVERSITY FOUNDATION (UDF) is a Non-Governmental Organization and Non-Profit Making. Registered under Companies Ordinance (Cap 212) Companies Limited by Guarantee no having a share Capital. Registered on September 28th, 2004. Certificate of Incorporation No 50181. Also we have certificate of Compliance of Non Governmental Organization Registered under Vice President’s Office given at 13th March 2006. Our Registration No is 1597. Was founded for the following reasons. To unify, train and empower financially diverse expertise of idle expertise in different trades for the purpose of running their projects effectively.

OUR VISION. UDF envisages seeing that the idle expertise are unified and empowered.

OUR MISSION. To identify, unify, and offer training in their respective expertise for the purpose of running projects that will contribute towards the increase of the national economy and to procure and manage funds to be provided to the trained grantees for using them in running their projects.

OBJECTIVES. (a) To run educational institutes from grass-root level that is Nursery school, primary school, secondary school, vocational training school, secretarial, business/commercial, tourism etc. (b) To assist the marginalized sectors of the community by providing them with relevant education and information in order to assert their rights and seek improvement of their living conditions with particular emphasis on women, street children, orphans, disabled and HIV/AIDS victims.

THE PROJECT OF BICYCLES. The Bicycles project will help the idle expertise of Tanzania who were walking on foot, transporting goods on their heads, now will be using the bicycles for transportation of agricultural crops from their farms. The bicycles will be used by women and men in productive activities. Also the bicycles will be used by students who are walking 7 kms to 10 kms going to school every day. Also the bicycles will be used by women who are walking 6 kms to 10 km seeking water. The bikes will be doing a lot of activities such as carrying pregnant mothers from the village to town. Where there is no means of transportation the bikes will be carrying sick people and pregnant mothers.

THE PROJECT OF SEWING MACHINES. The sewing machines will be used to empower idle Girls in Tanzania, idle orphans, idle widows, idle women groups, idle youth group who are lacking employment and will be employed by this project. Due to the high movements of girls  who are migrating from the villages to town the only solution is to provide them with sewing machines so that to lessen them from engaging into prostitution, drug abuse, unwanted pregnancies, theft, sexual abuses, etc. The sewing machines will provide them with employment for their self sustainability, self reliance and self employment. The sewing machines will help also the people living with HIV/AIDS and women groups who are idle. They will benefit from this project so that they may be encouraged into productive activities for improving the national economy by making different clothes like table cloths for decorating the tables and selling clothes to other nearby countries like Malawi, Zambia, and DRC. The sewing machines will bring a lot of changes soon because we have so many teachers who can teach them. It takes only three to six months for a young lady to master the sewing machine.

Through the Project of Bicycles and Sewing machines the vision of UDF which is to empower the idle expertise will be achieved. Also the vision of MATABE to Make Tanzania Better will be achieved effectively because everyone will busy working and our economy will be improving day after day and there will be no famine, no drug abusers, no prostitution, the kids will be attending the school well, at last everyone will be smiling in this world.

bicycles, Guatemala, Sewing Partners

A Partner Comes to Hunterdon County

by Patricia Hamill
Summer 2012 InGear

The night of April 20th, 2012, was an especially inspiring evening for P4P. Gathering in the intimate space of the Hunterdon Medical Center auditorium, we sponsored two wonderful presentations. The night was dedicated to a talk by Señora Maria Margarita CatĂ© de CatĂș, founder of FIDESMA (Foundation for the Environment and Sustainable Development), whose organization runs economic-development programs in the rural highlands of her native country, Guatemala. Many of the programs that FIDESMA sponsors, including agricultural and technological development, are funded by the sales of bicycles and sewing machines that they receive from us.

Dave Schweidenback and Margarita Caté in front of the FIDESMA building
Dave and Margarita in front of the FIDESMA building

Opening for Señora Margarita, so to speak, was documentary film-maker Greg Sucharew who shared the trailer for his upcoming film, The Bicycle City. This is “the story of the struggle, determination, idealism, and hope that has brought about the transformation of an entire society.” Greg’s lens records the tangible changes occurring in Rivas, Nicaragua, thanks to organizations like Pedals for Progress who have energized the economy by making bicycles an accessible commodity for the local population. We all eagerly await the release of this important testament to the measurable success of how American citizens’ involvement in nonprofit goals affects economically limited regions and countries across the world.

On stage, Señora Margarita described the location and mission of FIDESMA before proceeding to highlight the ongoing programs, aided by a wonderful slide show of participants in the foundation’s programs. The audience witnessed students in groups or individually working at computers or attending lectures related to computer proficiency, nutrition, agriculture, and other such personally and professionally useful topics. Photos showed people of all ages and both genders using bikes to get to work or working on these bikes for a living. Multiple family members were shown proudly displaying their bikes and we were treated to the image of a mob of serious competitive cyclists at the starting line of a race. Ladies looked up from their sewing machines and large pots of agave leaves boiled on stoves in a large indoor workroom provided by FIDESMA.

A table sat nearby the stage laden with expertly woven and beautifully colored wraps, purses, scarves, and pouches made by women who have been affiliated with FIDESMA for quite some time. A number of us purchased multiple pieces and, with the aid of our trusty translators, CEO of P4P David Schweidenback and our hard-working web master Reykha Bonilla, Señora Margarita patiently explained the meaning and relevance of the colors and designs of each backstrap-woven textile. She made a point of likening a traditional motif—the partial physical connection of two passing snakes—to the relationship of FIDESMA and P4P. No, not tangled or poisonous, but interconnected and flowing and meeting together even though moving independently. It really was a pleasure to be able to spend such intimate time getting to understand both the work that was being purchased and knowing where the dollars spent were definitely going. There were lots of smiles and many laughs even with the slight delay of the language barrier.