Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Stylish Shopkeepers of Kinshasa

Length of project: 12 months

Partner: Bana ya Kivuvu

We’re five women who still find it hard to speak of our past. We came from broken homes and experienced exploitation. This was our past, but it is not our future. We’ve gained training as dressmakers and now want to open two new shops that inspire people to love sewing and dressmaking as much as we do and can give us the independence we want so much!

Project details

This project is fully funded

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Shirley £500

May God bless your ventures. It is so important to support those who are trying to support themselves

Their story

Serving with style

We have all known poverty. Some of us never knew our father, some of us moved to Kinshasa in hope that we could earn money to support our families. None of us had money for education and faced tough decisions to support ourselves. We were exploited by those we thought we could trust. We felt trapped and struggled to change our circumstances.

We thank God every day for leading us to the training centre with Project Possible. We didn’t just learn skills in sewing and dressmaking, we found friendship and learnt about new possibilities in our lives. Most of all we were welcomed into a family that loved and cared for us.

Since graduating we have been running our own small workshops from our homes. We have lived together and have journeyed together. We all love sewing and now want to open two shops where we can continue to make beautiful clothes and can inspire other people to sew too!

The women have all been trained in sewing and tailoring.
“I have great know-how when it comes to dressmaking. I will present a stylish and welcoming shop. People can buy material, buttons and needles and get help as they sew for themselves. I don't want to rely on others anymore, I want to be independent with this venture.” Meddy's hopes for her shop

Their project

Shops that serve and inspire

Project Possible is working with local partner Bana ya Kivuvu to help five women launch two shops – providing sewing material and accessories alongside dressmaking workshops. Through these new shops they can inspire people to sew and gain independence for themselves and their families.

We’ll be working closely with our partner to:

  1. Provide the women with start-up capital to purchase materials and equipment
  2. Provide mentoring and support to help the women manage and market the shops to their local community.

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