Cyrene

Cyrene is the name of the sewing course we run in North Kathmandu.  We support two courses, a basic one and an advanced one, which pays for two teachers to give instruction on making clothes and keeping records.  Many of the women have only basic reading and writing skills when they start the course and so we endeavour to improve these as well.  Included on the courses too is teaching on family planning and we hope to include information about nutrition soon.

Each basic course lasts three months and up to 20 women can attend this course at any time.  The advanced course caters for 12 women and lasts longer for around 4 months.  Once the courses are complete the women are able to participate more fully in their communities and contribute directly to their family’s wellbeing by establishing small sewing businesses from home.

This is a moving testimony from a woman called Bhawana who completed the advanced sewing course in May 2010:

First of all I want to thank Cyrene from core of my heart.  Because of it’s deeds that it is helping a person like me who is being discarded from family, society and ignored by husband.  It has given us a way to live our life easily and prestigiously. It has helped me to live independently.

Once I was hopeless, I had no idea what to do and which way to go but that time Cyrene played vital role and courageous work in my life.  It has transformed my life.  From Cyrene I got to know not only about sewing, but health and hygiene, God, Jesus Christ, Bible.  God has opened the door of Cyrene through these people.  So, I want to thank organisers.

A group of women from the sewing course we support

In June 2010 we opened a small shop for graduates of the courses to run.  They take in tailoring work and sell some of their own ready-made clothes.  We pray that the shop is really successful.

The Cyrene Shop in Kathmandu