Benilda

Benilda has been a part of our sewing project for four years now. we got to know her when she was 13 and now at the age of 17 she has flourished into a wonderful seamstress. She lives with her older married brother who has three children and looks after her and two other sisters. She together with her sisters moved to Maputo 4 years ago from the province of Gaza because their father could not afford to look after them, he hoped that living with their brother would give them a better future. Grace has trained her and 3 other vulnerable teenagers in tailor work and she has proved to be the most responcible and talented of them all. Benilda is deaf and mute but her disabilities do not stop her from striving to do better in all her work and always with her infectious smile. Because of her dedication Grace has given her the role of being the leader of the sewing project.

Below are some of the clothes that she has sawn.

The purpose of the sewing project is to make clothes like the ones she is wearing that are then sold to the community. the money that is brought in is used to give Benilda and the other teenagers an income.

Ercenio is 18, an orphan and works together with Benilda. This year they made 60 uniforms for the children at the orphan school.

The girls uniform is a simple dress that is knee length.

During the winter they wear the dress with a shirt.


The boys can either have a pair of shorts or pants


Benilda and her friends work space at the moment is our garage, this is because we do not have electricity at the orphan school. Our aim for the future is that Benilda trains orphans so they too have a skill and that more of the clothes that they make are sold to the community in order for more orphans to be helped.