Name of the initiative: Strengthening of the sewing workshop "First steps in a new profession". Supporting IDPs by providing them with new clothes and bed linen.
A professionally equipped sewing workshop began to operate in one of the largest shelters for IDPs in Bukovyna - the regional communal institution "Chernivtsi Regional Center for Social and Psychological Assistance" - thanks to the SCLR program.
On the basis of the social center, a room was allocated for the implementation of this project, and the team of the NGO "Help and Hope" made cosmetic repairs there, replaced the wiring and installed lighting. Also provided the educational workshop with an autonomous power source (generator), purchased a supply of fuel and lubricants in case of power outages.
- The idea of creating a social sewing workshop arose thanks to constant communication with the residents of the social center and local people who experience economic difficulties and need additional sources of income, - says the author of the initiative Anastasia Naumenko. - The presence of a small sewing workshop in the social laundry on the territory of the social center became the starting point for the development of this initiative. We saw potential in expanding its capacity to address social issues. Sewing training can become an effective tool for employment and integration of IDPs, as well as for improving the skills of local residents.
Creating a social business on the basis of the workshop will not only provide jobs, but also produce affordable and high-quality clothes for the residents of the social center, among whose residents there are many people with disabilities and the elderly, who are the most acutely affected by the economic crisis.
Thanks to the initiative, 40 people were trained in sewing on the most modern sewing equipment and received certificates. They produced about a hundred items of clothing and underwear and gave them free of charge to the residents of the shelter, primarily to people with disabilities.
The implementation of the project will contribute to the creation of a sustainable model of social entrepreneurship that will be able to function and develop even after the end of grant funding, ensuring a long-term positive impact on the community.
