“Freedom and Unity” is the motto of the great State of Vermont. Much of what we do at Pedals for Progress is based on this exact principle. Our goal is to send used bicycles and sewing machines to motivated people in the developing world in the hopes that they can have the freedom to get to where they need to be, creating a better life for themselves. This goal requires a great amount of unity here in the United States. We cannot do what we do without the help from hundreds of dedicated people throughout the country. The Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (GMRPCVs) of Vermont are some of our most productive domestic partners. Every year for 22 years they’ve sent bikes and sewing machines from 300 miles away.
FedEx, another generous domestic partner, ships the bikes at no charge from Vermont to our warehouse in New Jersey. In 2020, FedEx delivered the 4000th bike from Vermont.
The GMRPCV operation, led by Joanne Heidkamp, Paul Demers, and Bob Thompson, along with the rest of the volunteers, requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. We are happy to report that, this year alone, the members of the Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers collected 312 bikes and 204 sewing machines from hundreds of Vermonters throughout the state. They held collections on Friday 9/24 in Montpelier and on Saturday 9/25 in Burlington. We here at Pedals for Progress would like to share a little bit about what they have done over the years and give thanks to the many people and groups involved with this difficult endeavor.
Getting the word out about our collections is always the biggest hurdle when organizing an event. What makes a successful collection is not simply stating that there will be a bike collection, but communicating to the public exactly what the collection is for. The GMRPCVs have been able to nail it year after year. MyNBC5, the local NBC station, ran a fantastic news piece that does exactly that. It perfectly showcases what they aim to do and where the bikes will be going and the lasting impact the bikes will have on the communities they are being sent to. Press releases like this not only spread the word, but convey infectious motivation that encourages people to come out to the collections. Here is the two-minute video from MyNBC5.
Vermont’s collections are particularly impressive because of the large number of sewing machines collected. Most of the machines are collected by Mary O’Brien, who works in the solid waste management department of Windsor County. She collects machines all year round, cleans, oils, and tests them. She uses pretty cloth, sometimes handkerchiefs or napkins, to hold sewing notions, a pin cushion, and reading glasses, and puts it all together in a kit for each machine. She also includes user manuals for the machines. The machines and their accessories must be astonishing to our overseas partners who get them.
This year, Mary also donated her classic, dearly loved road bike, which she had owned for most of her life and which she rode across the US in 1981. The bike has a personality of its own, reflecting the life-long activist and humanitarian that rode it. The bike is equipped with red panniers and an “anti-nuke bicyclist” sticker. The well-loved bike that has seen a lifetime adventure will continue its journey in its new home in Guatemala. It will double its life as a bicycle and see even more of the world while providing someone with a valuable means of transportation.
It is truly inspiring to see the great work that The Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have done for Pedals for Progress and the countless people and families associated with our international partners. We would again like to thank everyone involved. This year’s collection was certainly one worth celebrating. We greatly look forward to continuing this fantastic relationship and we are filled with excitement for next year’s collection.
On behalf of the Mityana Open Troop Foundation, I have compiled a progressive report for May to October 2021.
Mityana Open Troop Foundation is a registered Community Based Organization, with a Vocational Skills Training Centre, which recruits and trains vulnerable youths, mostly young girls formerly selling sex for survival and girls expelled from schools due to teenage pregnancies. We teach our students sustainable vocational skills. Before the closure of all institutions due to Covid-19, the school had a total enrollment of 92. Since the inception of vocational skills training at our centre in 2007, a total of over 800 have graduated. Some got employed while others set up their own workshops. Every graduate of our program is given a sewing machine from Sewing Peace, USA. Without equipment, the graduation certificate is no help, as 90% of graduates can’t afford tools.
Students are trained for 2 years in Sewing & Fashion Designing, Hair Dressing & Weaving, Motor Vehicle & Cycle Mechanics, Carpentry & Joinery, or Metal Fabrication.
Every year, there are 3 training terms of 3 months each; for each term the centre recruits whoever wishes to join.
Achievements
Madison Sewing Workshop
The Sewing Workshop floor has been renovated and we installed 2 cutting tables with a micro loan from M/s Ivonne Reilly Sencebe of the USA. The workshop floor had been dusty, not conducive to learners and damaging sewing machines. This Madison Sewing workshop was constructed with support from Madison Ardizzi of Canada.
The project sewing shop has been producing face masks and selling them at a price lower than our competitors’.
Tyne Hall Renovation
The Tyne Hall hair dressing workshop roof has been renovated with support from Mr. & Mrs. Jane Louise Colin Neil Dippie, of the UK. The roof has been leaking for a long time. The construction of Tyne Hall workshop floor and boundaries was sponsored by Mr. Chris James Eldridge of the UK.
Challenges and Limitations
By the second lockdown and school closure in mid-June 2021 due to Covid-19, a number of students had not fully paid their school fees. All training institutions in Uganda had been under lockdown since March 2020. This has caused serious loss of income for our project!
The Organization still encounters challenges in raising funds for shipping Sewing Machines from Sewing Peace USA.
The Organization lacks a computer, printer, and photocopier, which we need to print end-of-term exams and other office documents. Currently all computer work is taken to town.
The project needs a computer lab with internet access, to enable students to find dress fashions, learn computer skills, and get Health information. In addition, this computer lab would be used by our community volunteers to access the Ministry of Health for health-related issues.
The project requires a new embroidery machine that can use a USB drive and that can run faster. The current machine is slow and often needs routine maintenance and servicing.
The Organization requires office furniture and a staff room, as instructors don’t have a place to sit and keep their kits.
The Training Centre lacks clean water. There is a very small (2000-liter) water tank, which lasts 2 days. Then students have to go on foot 1 km in search of water from unprotected water sources. This has resulted in many cases of Typhoid.
We have many cases of malaria among project trainees, as they lack mosquito nets.
Our project lacks a toilet for boys. Currently boys and girls share one pit latrine, which is not recommended by the Ministry of Education.
The project lacks an incinerator, where sanitary pads and other wastes can be burnt easily.
Community Impact
The Mityana Open Troop Vocational Skilling Project offers affordable training to school dropouts from our communities, including unemployed youths. The project trainees come from the 6 surrounding districts: Mityana, Mubende, Kiboga, Kasanda, Kyankwanzi, and Hoima. The non-formal skills training we offer has very much benefited parents whose children have dropped out of school, as most institutions in the area offer only formal education.
Over 800 trainees have graduated since our inception in 2007. These graduates go back to their communities and set up their own workshops, passing along their acquired skills to fellow youths who didn’t join our project.
The community can also buy inexpensive goods and services from trainees in the carpentry workshop and the sewing project, where we make uniforms and offer sewing repair services.
Our sewing shop also offers embroidery services to schools formerly traveling to Kampala.
The Mityana Open Troop Foundation is the only shop in the area delivering high quality used sewing machines at inexpensive prices. The machines are from Sewing Peace USA. Many schools and tailors in the area have been supplied with these machines.
Way Forward and Recommendations
We are fundraising for a new 2-classroom block, to enable us to create a conducive training environment and have room for more students.
We need a new toilet for boys, who currently share facilities with girls.
We need embroidery machines with USB input, as the one we have is very slow and requires mechanical servicing all the time!
We need an incinerator for burning sanitary pads and other wastes.
We welcome volunteers who can teach sustainable skills to our youths. We would like to partner with similar vocational training institutions elsewhere in the world. This will help us learn how they operate. Plus it will help our Ugandan youths create friendships with fellow youths and learn about their cultures.
We are organizing a Christmas children’s party for December 27th, with guest speakers, drinks, cakes, biscuits, music, and gifts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, on behalf of the Mityana Open Troop Foundation, I extends our sincere thanks to the following great friends and partners: Mr. Chris Eldridge, Mr. Colin Dippie & Mrs. Jane Louise Dippie, Mr.Nino Ardizz, M/s. Madison Ardizzi, Holly Williams, M/s. Ivonne Reilly Sencebey. You have all been so supportive to our organization, during this pandemic lockdown and before. This has been and still is a very challenging season of limited funds and people losing their jobs.
I also extend our thanks to Mr. David Schweidenback, President of Sewing Peace, and the generous communities of the USA, who have been donating high-quality refurbished sewing machines to our needy Ugandan communities. Please, the used sewing machines which seem unimportant in the USA have uplifted our communities, changing peoples’ lives by creating a daily source of income. Thanks to all the volunteers involved in the collection of sewing machines and bicycles.
Please Continue Giving a Hand Up, Not a Hand out.
Stay safe from the Covid-19 Pandemic.
God Bless You.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2022
Yours,
Mathew Yawe, Executive Director, Mityana Open Troop Foundation
Rising Hope Foundation for Change, in partnership with Sewing Peace, is implementing a program aimed at training vulnerable women and teenage girls in sewing, fashion, and design in Cameroon. This training program will empower these women with life skills such as tailoring, professional sewing, fashion and design, sewing machine repair, and basic computer knowledge. They will learn how to run tailoring businesses from their homes. Though women and girls at the entry point of the program may be unskilled, they will leave with a means to earn a livelihood, become trainers, and provide for their own families’ sewing needs. This program will promote and create female entrepreneurs and generate income. The program promotes economic self-reliance of women and girls in Cameroon and addresses the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.
The zigzag sewing machines and other accessories sent by SP are very useful: they give a professional touch to the women who learn specialized sewing with different stitches. Some of the women have added new services because of the zigzag machine. At first, they had to travel long distances to use zigzag machines that are costly and unreliable. Now they can work at home or in our Centre.
We have also started a program to make and sell washable (and thus re-usable) sanitary pads to be used instead of the disposable ones. Thus we reduce the impact on the natural environment .
At the end of their training process, our trainees will be able to be either self-employed or hired as part of the team working on the washable sanitary pads.
This will have several benefits for the communities:
skills development
employment opportunities
financial independence
unemployment reduction
poverty reduction
better understanding of the menstrual cycle through the training for sanitary pad production
better control of pregnancies
better management of resources: options for education, potential for future earnings, and family planning
The Administration Entities in these regions will directly benefit from these programs, furthering their own objectives in terms of public health, social environment, and unemployment rates in the community, the region, and the country as a whole.
It will be a win-win situation for the Government, girls and women, and the community as a whole. Officially, Rising Hope Foundation for Change will launch the program in September 2021.
Success Stories
We gave some basic training to women who can sew but cannot afford a sewing machine. At the end of this 14-day training period, we gave them one sewing machine each. RHFC is excited and proud to bring these stories and thanks from the beneficiaries of the project.
Mami Blessing
I am happy for this gift from Rising Hope Foundation of Change and its partner Sewing Peace. As a widow, I thought the world had forgotten about me. I was surprised when one of my mothers in church told me I was one of the lucky recipients of a sewing machine. I thought it was a joke until the coordinator himself called me to pick it up at the Centre. This machine is going to help me and my small family a lot. The 200 to 300 Francs we earn by patching dresses will help me buy breakfast for my children.
We all are going to improve our skills in sewing since the machine will keep us constantly working on small materials and children’s torn dresses. It is going to help me train my children in learning the art of sewing since we are not going to pay people to teach us again.
I pray that the lord almighty will bless Rising Hope Foundation for Change and their partner immensely.
Mangwi Ndi
As an orphan who has spent more than 25 years in a remote village, I never knew people were so kind until I came to Limbe due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis. My boss introduced me to a matron of an orphanage who has a link with RHFC. That is how, after explaining my situation to the organization, I was lucky enough to get this sewing machine. Getting a machine from people I don’t know and haven’t heard of was a double miracle to me.
I am a seamstress by training but have been working for another person because I could not open a place of my own. This machine I just received will help me open my own shop and teach underprivileged girls and boys how to sew at a very low cost. Having this machine has given me full employment; it will help me earn money to build my future and take care of my needs like rent and family expenses. From my heart I pray the good Lord bless all the people supporting all the efforts of Rising Hope Foundation for Change.
Manka Synthia
I am a single mother with 2 children. I was a farmer before the crisis started. When it became serious I had to stop going to the farm because of insecurity. I was advised by my landlady to learn a skill. She told me tailoring would be good because you can practice it until you are 70 years old. When going to do my hair at the Empowerment Centre of Rising Hope Foundation for Change, I overheard the members talking of the sewing machine program. I pleaded with them to put my name on the list in case they need single suffering mothers. To my great surprise I was called up for my special gift of a sewing machine. The machine will save me the money I was to pay for a new machine. It will help me learn fast since I will be learning at home and at the tailoring workshop. I think I will use the machine very well so that I can hand it down to my children when they grow. In the future I may also open a centre to train other single mothers like me.
On behalf of the Mityana Open Troop Foundation, I have compiled a progress report which I wish to present to you.
Mityana Open Troop Foundation (MOTF) is a registered Community Based Organization, with a Vocational Skills Training Centre, which Recruits and trains disadvantaged youths, young girls formerly selling sex for survival, girls expelled from school due to teenage pregnancies, and youths who dropped out of school due to Covid-19. All these youths are trained in sustainable vocational skills. Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to close, the vocational project had a population of over 100 trainees. Unfortunately, by the end of March 2021, the vocational project had an enrollment of 50 trainees!
Since the inception of the Vocational Skills Training project in 2007, a total of over 800 have graduated. Some got employed while others have managed to set up their own shops. Every graduate of our program is given a sewing machine from Sewing Peace, USA. Without equipment, the graduation certificate is no help, as 90% of graduates can’t afford tools.
Students are trained for 2 years in Sewing & Fashion Design, Hair Dressing & Weaving, or Motor Vehicle Mechanics. Every year, there are 3 training terms of 3 months each; for each term the centre recruits whoever wishes to join.
Achievements
The organization with the help from Mr. Chris James Eldridge of the UK, managed to fund another shipment of 71 sewing machines from Sewing Peace. The machines arrived at the project and have been put to use by trainees.
To help prevent Covid-19, our sewing shop has been producing face masks and selling them at a price lower than our competitors’.
In April 2021, the vocational project registered new trainees into non-formal skills training program. These are the youths who have dropped out of formal education as a result of socio-economic effects of Covid-19. Other youths have given birth during the 14-month school closure and can’t go back to their former schools.
Challenges and Limitations!
The Covid-19 lockdown of learning institutions has caused a number of students to drop out. Most parents lost jobs, and businesses no longer worked well, so parents could not pay school fees.
The prolonged lockdown caused many students to lose hope of returning to school. Many children were idle and moving up and down, which resulted in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Some students got petty jobs where they earned a little money and lost interest in going back to formal education.
Because all training institutions have been under lockdown since March 2020, we have lost an entire year of income from school fees.
The Organization still encounters challenges in raising funds for shipping sewing Machines from Sewing Peace.
The sewing training workshop requires a new floor with tiles; the machines needs a strong floor. Currently the floor is dusty, which damages sewing machines.
The vocational project needs be supplied with 80% manual sewing machines, as they are easier to repair than electric machines, which are expensive to repair when their gears and rollers fail. Even electricity is a challenge in some of our remote Ugandan communities.
The Organization lacks a computer, printer, and photocopier, which we need to print end-of-term exams and other office documents. Currently all computer work is taken to town.
The project requires a computer lab with internet access to enable our trainees to access zoom communication with other international students and exchange developmental ideas, and to access health-related issues, including Covid-19 information.
The project requires a new embroidery machine that can use a USB drive and that can run faster. The current machine is slow and often needs routine maintenance and servicing.
The Organization requires office furniture and a staff room, as instructors don’t have a place to sit and keep their kits.
The Training Centre lacks clean water. There is a very small (2000-liter) water tank, which lasts 2 days. Then students have to go on foot 1 km in search of water from unprotected water sources. This has resulted in many cases of Typhoid.
We have many cases of malaria among project trainees, as they lack mosquito nets. In every term we get over 85% malaria cases among trainees. Malaria is the disease with the highest death toll in Uganda.
There is a great need of renovating training hall roofs, as all are broken due to leaking iron sheets.
Way Forward & Recommendations
On the 13th of November 2021, we will hold our 8th Vocational Project Graduation Ceremony, where over 100 youths will be commissioned and awarded start-up kits in Hairdressing & Weaving, Sewing & Fashion, or Motor Vehicle Mechanics. You are invited please.
We are fundraising for a new 2-classroom block, to enable us to create a conducive training environment and have room for more students.
We need a new roof for the Tyne Hall workshop, where we teach Hair Dressing and Weaving.
We need a new toilet for boys, who currently share facilities with girls, which is not recommended!
We need embroidery machines with USB input, as the one we have is very slow and requires mechanical servicing all time!
We welcome volunteers who can teach sustainable skills to our youths. We would like to partner with similar vocational training institutions elsewhere in the world. This will help us learn how they operate. Plus it will help our Ugandan youths create friendships with fellow youths and learn about their cultures.
Conclusion and Appreciations
In conclusion, I thank Mr. Chris Eldridge, Mr. David Schweidenback of Sewing Peace, Mr. Colin Dippie and Mrs. Jane Louise Dippie, Mr. Nino Ardizz and Ms. Madison Ardizz, who have been so supportive to our organization. This has been and still is a very challenging season.
I extend our thanks to the generous communities of the USA who have been donating their used Sewing machines to our needy Ugandan communities. Please, the used sewing machines which seem unimportant in the USA have uplifted our communities, changing peoples’ lives by creating a daily source of income.
Furthermore, we extend our sincere appreciations to our new Rotarian & Scouts friends: Ms. Sarah Kim from South Korea, Ms. Ivonne Sencebe Reilley and Pat Curley of the USA, who are trying to raise funds for a computer lab and construction of a classroom block.
Please thank you so much.
I pray that every one is safe from the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Rags2Riches (R2R) is a social enterprise established in 2007 that provides livelihood to artisans from poor communities in the Philippines. Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, the President & Co-Founder of R2R is a Rolex Young Laureate for 2010, which paved the way for the partnership with Sewing Peace.
In October 2020 Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and David Schweidenback were interviewed by the Washington Post together for a dynamic new media article called Trash to Treasure Hunters, in partnership with Rolex.org. As both Reese and David are Rolex Awardees for the Environment, they shared their experiences on upcycling, recycling, and creating better opportunities for people through transforming waste into valuable assets. The partnership between R2R and Sewing Peace was a natural fit. R2R provides livelihood opportunities for artisans from the Philippines while Sewing Peace provides valuable livelihood-enabling assets such as sewing machines to communities in need. Not long after the interview was published, Reese and David continued their conversation and established a partnership.
Sewing Peace shipped 35 beautiful and functional sewing machines to R2R in December 2020. All of these sewing machines were distributed to the main artisans of R2R. These machines enable the artisans to generate livelihood while staying home and keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy. All of R2R’s artisans are very grateful for these valuable tools that enrich their lives and create opportunities for them to support their families especially during this pandemic.
Sewing machines are incredible tools for artisans to be able to practice their craft while generating income for their families. R2R’s main tool has always been the weaving loom. However, sewing machines also emerged as another indispensable tool that, combined with the use of the weaving loom, could create unique and valuable masterpieces that could generate more income for artisans. R2R provides the training for sewing and weaving as well as continuous market access.
The sewing machines provided by Sewing Peace are valuable assets for artisans to lift themselves out of poverty and stay out of poverty.
Pedals for Progress has received reports from The Norbert and Friends Missions, our partner in Tanzania. Their second container arrived on February 2, 2020, and was slightly delayed due to unexpected costs and delays with the Tanzania Revenue Authority. The container finally made its long-awaited arrival at the NFM headquarters and was immediately unloaded.
The Norbert and Friends Missions experience high demand for P4P bikes and sewing machines due to their reputation for quality. Word is being spread about the benefits of bikes and sewing machines. Norbert and Friends Missions are determined, and are showing, that they can continue to create a continuous, autonomous, and independent revolving fund. This has always been the primary goal when setting up new relationships with partners overseas and the Norbert and Friends Missions have successfully laid the foundation to do so. It is up to us on the domestic front to continue supplying their great demand. It has been a true inspiration to see the strides they are making.
The bicycles provided by P4P have garnered fame as they are reliable tools used by the community’s healthcare workers and farmers. Norbert and Friends Missions are reporting that farmers are increasing their production, as they can haul more product over greater distances. Healthcare is more accessible to community members, and on the inverse healthcare workers can access the community easier. School children are also making noticeable changes in attendance and their grades as they can get to school faster, and as a result, are less tired, allowing them to better focus on their schoolwork.
The Norbert and Friends Missions tell us the sewing machines and bicycles are also greatly impacting the lives of women and girls in their community. The bicycles are allowing women and girls to have reliable transportation that is safer for them than walking. Women and girls face disproportionate challenges getting transportation. However, bicycles provided by The Norbert and Friends Missions have been evening out this inequality. The sewing machines being provided also give women opportunities to create their own small business. The women doing so have been a great source of inspiration for younger generations. The women who are proving to be successful are also very motivated to pass on their skills by teaching younger generations and holding classes for the inexperienced. The sewing machines provide a regular income for people that have had no source whatsoever.
Please read these personal testimonials from The Norbert and Friends Missions. It is amazing to hear how motivated the organization is in changing their community. They wish to continue the spread of their work and have hopes of reaching every corner of their country to distribute the much-needed aid our bicycles and sewing machines provide. They certainly have this within their capacity, and we are very excited to continue to work with them to make this goal a reality.
I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for getting this sewing machine. Before I got it I couldn’t even buy my own clothes, but after getting this sewing machine I can now afford my own house. I have hired people to help me sell the clothes I make. Life has become easier. Now I wish to start a small college to teach my fellow girls to build their economy. Thank you very much P4P through The Norbert and Friends Missions.
Our group would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to The Norbert and Friends Missions. Now we are meeting in unity but lacking resources; we are praying for our donors to help us with more sewing machines.
Mariam Arbetus
This family thanks the Organization for providing us with a sewing machine. We have now been able to talk about another sewing machine. We hope that my children also learn this skill as they have seen great benefits. Since we received the sewing machine it has opened the doors for my business, as I henceforth will look more professional. The Norbert and Friends Missions are the Hope for the hopeless, the Peace Makers and friends to the poor. May God help them continue reaching the unreached, and helping the left for themselves. God bless you very much.
Sewing Peace Community Impact in Hai District
We don’t have good words to say because when we started this project we were two but now we have 12 of us. There is one who was wanting to run away from his family but after getting a sewing machine with this Group he found life has become much easier and he has managed a family services business and his children are now going to school. We just need to add a sewing machine. Thank you for helping us.
Manka
From the Hai District: Manka does not believe her eyes. “I was wondering how I could lead my life without any income.” Now she has seen so much benefit from managing her own sewing project and making her own money that she is thinking of opening a tailoring shop and hiring people who will help her manage her sewing business. “Many girls are suffering from poverty and lack of income even when they have professional skills. And yet many others would like to acquire tailoring skills but cannot afford it! I promise to reciprocate to the NFM by helping any women or girls who come my way for the sake of poverty alleviation. I know what it means living without income and how it hurts! May God Bless The Norbert and Friends Missions and their partners!”
Demand for Bikes
These you see here are students who have been in our office to ask for a bike after seeing their classmates with bikes do so well with attendance and exams. Students without bikes often walk a very long distance to school.
Isatu Kamara is a single mother. She is just returning to the country from the UAE, where she has spent almost 4 years with captors who tricked her into leaving Freetown for what they said was a greener pasture in the UAE. After 4 years as a sex slave, she was repatriated by the Sierra Leone government. With no home or savings, she was left begging to feed herself and her one-year-old son. She was living in abject poverty, sometimes bunking with her sister, who is herself barely surviving.
When we opened the fashion school it was meant to address the issue of lack of skills amongst our youth, especially girls. Isatu heard about us from a friend and enrolled immediately. These days she spends her days at the school whilst we watch her little son. She is very grateful and happy. In the near future we will provide a day care facility for the children in our community.
Isatu Kamara is one of the many vulnerable women who are benefiting from the sewing machines sent to Sierra Leone by Sewing Peace.
This post from our Fall 2020 Newsletter gives the background to this 19-minute discussion of recycling. The discussion, moderated by Jeff Kirschner, CEO of Litterati, was part of a collaboration between the Washington Post and the Rolex Perpetual Planet project. The discussion features P4P President, David Schweidenback, and Rags2Riches President, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz. This audio is part of the multimedia piece Trash-to-Treasure Hunters.
On 02 October 2020 we loaded our third shipment to Togo: 513 bikes and 47 sewing machines. We just got mail reporting that it arrived on November 24th.
Simon Akouete at the arrival of Togo #3
From: Simon Akouete <simonakouete@gmail.com>
Subject: Informations
Date: November 25, 2020 at 9:57:29 PM EST
To: David Schweidenback <dschweidenback@gmail.com>
Hello David,
You are fine I hope. Finally the bicycles and sewing machines arrived at the headquarters of the Association Défi et Révolution de la Vie Rurale DRVR-TOGO in Vogan yesterday. The young beneficiaries were eagerly waiting for it.
Togo #3 at Vogan, Togo
All our thanks to you especially and to your entire team for a job well done. I am sending you some photos from the opening of the container at the port and the arrival in front of our headquarters in Vogan.
AKOUETE Yawo Galé Simon
Coordinator of NGO DRVR-TOGO
On 24 December 2020 we got mail from Simon with photos of some of the people who got a bike or a sewing machine from the new container.
Donate bicycles and sewing machines to developing countries
“Freedom and Unity” is the motto of the great State of Vermont. Much of what we do at Pedals for Progress is based on this exact principle. Our goal is to send used bicycles and sewing machines to motivated people in the developing world in the hopes that they can have the freedom to get to where they need to be, creating a better life for themselves. This goal requires a great amount of unity here in the United States. We cannot do what we do without the help from hundreds of dedicated people throughout the country. The Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (GMRPCVs) of Vermont are some of our most productive domestic partners. Every year for 22 years they’ve sent bikes and sewing machines from 300 miles away.
The GMRPCV operation, led by Joanne Heidkamp, Paul Demers, and Bob Thompson, along with the rest of the volunteers, requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. We are happy to report that, this year alone, the members of the Green Mountain Returned Peace Corps Volunteers collected 312 bikes and 204 sewing machines from hundreds of Vermonters throughout the state. They held collections on Friday 9/24 in Montpelier and on Saturday 9/25 in Burlington. We here at Pedals for Progress would like to share a little bit about what they have done over the years and give thanks to the many people and groups involved with this difficult endeavor.
Vermont’s collections are particularly impressive because of the large number of sewing machines collected. Most of the machines are collected by Mary O’Brien, who works in the solid waste management department of Windsor County. She collects machines all year round, cleans, oils, and tests them. She uses pretty cloth, sometimes handkerchiefs or napkins, to hold sewing notions, a pin cushion, and reading glasses, and puts it all together in a kit for each machine. She also includes user manuals for the machines. The machines and their accessories must be astonishing to our overseas partners who get them.
This year, Mary also donated her classic, dearly loved road bike, which she had owned for most of her life and which she rode across the US in 1981. The bike has a personality of its own, reflecting the life-long activist and humanitarian that rode it. The bike is equipped with red panniers and an “anti-nuke bicyclist” sticker. The well-loved bike that has seen a lifetime adventure will continue its journey in its new home in Guatemala. It will double its life as a bicycle and see even more of the world while providing someone with a valuable means of transportation.
Mityana Open Troop Foundation is a registered Community Based Organization, with a Vocational Skills Training Centre, which recruits and trains vulnerable youths, mostly young girls formerly selling sex for survival and girls expelled from schools due to teenage pregnancies. We teach our students sustainable vocational skills. Before the closure of all institutions due to Covid-19, the school had a total enrollment of 92. Since the inception of vocational skills training at our centre in 2007, a total of over 800 have graduated. Some got employed while others set up their own workshops. Every graduate of our program is given a sewing machine from Sewing Peace, USA. Without equipment, the graduation certificate is no help, as 90% of graduates can’t afford tools.
I am happy for this gift from Rising Hope Foundation of Change and its partner Sewing Peace. As a widow, I thought the world had forgotten about me. I was surprised when one of my mothers in church told me I was one of the lucky recipients of a sewing machine. I thought it was a joke until the coordinator himself called me to pick it up at the Centre. This machine is going to help me and my small family a lot. The 200 to 300 Francs we earn by patching dresses will help me buy breakfast for my children.
As an orphan who has spent more than 25 years in a remote village, I never knew people were so kind until I came to Limbe due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis. My boss introduced me to a matron of an orphanage who has a link with RHFC. That is how, after explaining my situation to the organization, I was lucky enough to get this sewing machine. Getting a machine from people I don’t know and haven’t heard of was a double miracle to me.
I am a single mother with 2 children. I was a farmer before the crisis started. When it became serious I had to stop going to the farm because of insecurity. I was advised by my landlady to learn a skill. She told me tailoring would be good because you can practice it until you are 70 years old. When going to do my hair at the Empowerment Centre of Rising Hope Foundation for Change, I overheard the members talking of the sewing machine program. I pleaded with them to put my name on the list in case they need single suffering mothers. To my great surprise I was called up for my special gift of a sewing machine. The machine will save me the money I was to pay for a new machine. It will help me learn fast since I will be learning at home and at the tailoring workshop. I think I will use the machine very well so that I can hand it down to my children when they grow. In the future I may also open a centre to train other single mothers like me.
Since the inception of the Vocational Skills Training project in 2007, a total of over 800 have graduated. Some got employed while others have managed to set up their own shops. Every graduate of our program is given a sewing machine from Sewing Peace, USA. Without equipment, the graduation certificate is no help, as 90% of graduates can’t afford tools.
The Covid-19 lockdown of learning institutions has caused a number of students to drop out. Most parents lost jobs, and businesses no longer worked well, so parents could not pay school fees.
In conclusion, I thank Mr. Chris Eldridge, Mr. David Schweidenback of Sewing Peace, Mr. Colin Dippie and Mrs. Jane Louise Dippie, Mr. Nino Ardizz and Ms. Madison Ardizz, who have been so supportive to our organization. This has been and still is a very challenging season.
In October 2020 Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and David Schweidenback were interviewed by the Washington Post together for a dynamic new media article called Trash to Treasure Hunters, in partnership with Rolex.org. As both Reese and David are Rolex Awardees for the Environment, they shared their experiences on upcycling, recycling, and creating better opportunities for people through transforming waste into valuable assets. The partnership between R2R and Sewing Peace was a natural fit. R2R provides livelihood opportunities for artisans from the Philippines while Sewing Peace provides valuable livelihood-enabling assets such as sewing machines to communities in need. Not long after the interview was published, Reese and David continued their conversation and established a partnership.
Sewing Peace shipped 35 beautiful and functional sewing machines to R2R in December 2020. All of these sewing machines were distributed to the main artisans of R2R. These machines enable the artisans to generate livelihood while staying home and keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy. All of R2R’s artisans are very grateful for these valuable tools that enrich their lives and create opportunities for them to support their families especially during this pandemic.
I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for getting this sewing machine. Before I got it I couldn’t even buy my own clothes, but after getting this sewing machine I can now afford my own house. I have hired people to help me sell the clothes I make. Life has become easier. Now I wish to start a small college to teach my fellow girls to build their economy. Thank you very much P4P through The Norbert and Friends Missions.
This family thanks the Organization for providing us with a sewing machine. We have now been able to talk about another sewing machine. We hope that my children also learn this skill as they have seen great benefits. Since we received the sewing machine it has opened the doors for my business, as I henceforth will look more professional. The Norbert and Friends Missions are the Hope for the hopeless, the Peace Makers and friends to the poor. May God help them continue reaching the unreached, and helping the left for themselves. God bless you very much.
We don’t have good words to say because when we started this project we were two but now we have 12 of us. There is one who was wanting to run away from his family but after getting a sewing machine with this Group he found life has become much easier and he has managed a family services business and his children are now going to school. We just need to add a sewing machine. Thank you for helping us.
From the Hai District: Manka does not believe her eyes. “I was wondering how I could lead my life without any income.” Now she has seen so much benefit from managing her own sewing project and making her own money that she is thinking of opening a tailoring shop and hiring people who will help her manage her sewing business. “Many girls are suffering from poverty and lack of income even when they have professional skills. And yet many others would like to acquire tailoring skills but cannot afford it! I promise to reciprocate to the NFM by helping any women or girls who come my way for the sake of poverty alleviation. I know what it means living without income and how it hurts! May God Bless The Norbert and Friends Missions and their partners!”
Demand for Bikes
Isatu Kamara is a single mother. She is just returning to the country from the UAE, where she has spent almost 4 years with captors who tricked her into leaving Freetown for what they said was a greener pasture in the UAE. After 4 years as a sex slave, she was repatriated by the Sierra Leone government. With no home or savings, she was left begging to feed herself and her one-year-old son. She was living in abject poverty, sometimes bunking with her sister, who is herself barely surviving.
On 02 October 2020 we loaded our third shipment to Togo: 513 bikes and 47 sewing machines. We just got mail reporting that it arrived on November 24th.
