Story by Tamuka Charakupa
A group of fifteen women from rural Makonde district have initiated a business of utilising unwanted clothes turning them into creative new styles which now has become an alternative source of income for the community.
Every year, millions of tonnes of clothing are thrown away with much of it ending up in landfills or burnt due to increased second-hand fashion flooding the local market.
“Ever since we initiated this project we are no longer throwing away torn clothes we are making the best out of it. We have floor mats, hats, modified dresses and so forth,” a beneficiary, Mrs Susan Dhewa said.
“We are being taught that we should have side projects that create extra income for our families. Once women are empowered, it is a step in the right direction in reducing gender-based violence, abuse and poverty in general,” another beneficiary, Mrs Faides Hurungwe said.
The project is being funded by the European Union through the Culture Fund and implemented by Trafashion.
“We realised that a lot of old, torn and unwanted clothes were being out to waste. We therefore sought funding to buy sewing machines, unwanted clothes from secondhand markets to kick start this project. The idea is to create a sustainable way of generating income for our rural women while also keeping the environment clean,” lecturer, Trafashion, project leader, Dr Chipo Chuma said.
“We are funding three projects in Mashonaland West with Trafashion being one of them. This project is also part of the 82 which have benefitted from our 2 million Euro grant that we received from the European Union to support to thriving community-led initiatives,” Culture Fund projects officer, Mr Simbarashe Mudhokwani said.
Makonde Ward 12 councillor Mr Christopher Mpundu is impressed with the transformative nature of the project.
“As councillors, it is part of our duties to create conducive environments that stimulate the growth of new ideas and investments. I am impressed that this initiative is creating not just extra income for the community but also helping in keeping our environment clean,” he said.
From rags to resources, the Makonde women are weaving a new story of survival, creativity, and hope.
