Khady‘s path in life seemed mapped out for her already. Since she had never attended school and couldn’t read or write, the only thing she could do was work as a housekeeper in order to earn a little bit of money to get by. Even after getting married, nothing would change, except that she would have to look after her own home and her own children. Khady‘s home is in a small village in the country. In order to earn money, she lived with her aunt in the Senegalese town of Saint-Louis.

Fortunately, she worked near the Keur Mame Fatim Konté training center in the Leona district. This was the only way she found out that young women could train to become hairdressers, seamstresses or cooks and receive tutoring for a school-leaving certificate. The center was established in 2006 and also includes a community center, a library and a kindergarten for street children, which is attended by around 100 girls and boys every year. 400 primary school children in Leona, a district characterized by a low standard of living and high unemployment, also benefit from free tutoring programs. The aim is to give young people a perspective for the future in their own country. The Leona project has been part of the help alliance since 2002.

In 2009, Khady applied to study hairdressing. Since all the places had already been filled, she decided to do an apprenticeship as a seamstress. During and after her training she continued to work as a housekeeper, first to finance her training and later to purchase her first sewing machine. To put some money aside, she sewed and mended clothes by hand. After two years, she had reached her goal – she had successfully completed her training.

She returned to her mother in her home village and from then on sewed clothes in her parents‘ bedroom. Although there were already 14 tailor shops in the village of 4,000 inhabitants, no one had actually completed an official training. Only Khady had basic knowledge, such as how to correctly measure, for example. The demand for such expertise is therefore very high.

„My clothes simply fit the best and have the best quality,“ Khady proudly explains. Approximately 80 percent of the graduates actually work in the profession they have studied. Most do this under the table, as there is no real labor market in Saint-Louis. Only ten percent of those who studied opened a small business and Khady is one of them. She now employs six people; four do the sewing and two specialize in embroidery. She also runs a small shop that sells sewing supplies. Khady travels regularly to Saint-Louis to buy material for both her tailor shop and the supply shop. Business is booming! For the other girls in the village, Khady is a hero and a great role-model to follow. Meanwhile, ten other girls have started or completed an apprenticeship at the training center. „And if I ever
get married, I‘m definitely going back to work. Guaranteed!“.

Khady’s story was first published in the 2018 Annual Report

Funding for the project has now been completed.