RESCUE AND RETRAINING WOMEN

A place for safety, recovery, and retraining

The planned campus will bring three areas of support together in one place.

Nicole May

Director, Rescue and Retraining Women
African Leadership

A SAFE PLACE

Safety

A secure place where women leaving abuse and hardship can find stability.

01
HEALING

Recovery

Support and care as women heal and regain confidence in their future.

02
SKILLS AND INCOME

Retraining

Practical skills training that helps women work toward earning an income.

03

SKILLS TO REBUILD AND EARN

Franschhoek community sewing centre

We are establishing a community sewing centre as part of the Rescue and Retraining Campus. The campus will support women affected by abuse, trafficking, poverty, and hardship, offering them a safe place to receive support, build new skills, and work toward rebuilding their lives.

Within this setting, the sewing centre will give women the opportunity to learn practical skills and build confidence. Training will begin with the basics and progress to garment construction, product making, and skills that open pathways to employment or self-employment, helping them move toward greater independence.

Builders raising the walls of the Franschhoek community sewing centre

12

Women in the first program

8 Weeks

Beginner sewing program

R60,000

Fundraising goal

First training program

The first program will support approximately 12 women with little or no previous sewing experience.

SEWING
FUNDAMENTALS

Machine operation, safety, hand stitching, threading, measuring, fabric handling, and pattern preparation.

GARMENT
CONSTRUCTION

Fabric cutting, seams, hemming, garment assembly, shaping, closures, fitting, and finishing techniques.

PRODUCTION AND
BUSINESS SKILLS

Quality control, costing, pricing, production planning, inventory management, and preparing products for sale.

12 Women. 12 Stations. One Goal.

The first training program will be supported by 12 practical sewing stations, giving each participant access to the equipment and basic tools needed to develop sewing skills and work toward earning an income.

10 sewing machines

R34,490

2 overlockers

R15,498

12 sewing kits

R6,000

CORE REQUIREMENT

R55,988

Target Goal

R60,000

The R60,000 target provides a small buffer for changes in supplier pricing, delivery, availability, and purchasing costs.
Each sewing kit will contain basic sewing tools, including scissors, measuring tape, needles, pins, thread, tailor's chalk, and other sewing accessories.

TRAINING HAS BEGUN

Sewing classes are underway

Week 1 of sewing classes is underway at the church next door while construction of the new Franschhoek Sewing Centre nears completion, led by Nicole May, Director of Rescue and Retraining for Women, African Leadership.

Women in the first sewing class holding their course materials beside new sewing machines
Nicole May demonstrating a sewing machine to the class
Participants reading through their week 1 course notes
Nicole May speaking with participants around the training table
Participant with the 8-week training programme booklet and a new sewing machine

BUILDING THE CENTRE

Construction is underway

Builders passing blocks up the scaffolding
Team working together on the scaffolding
Builder climbing the scaffolding beside the new walls
Builder cutting concrete blocks on site

Beyond the first eight weeks

The eight-week program is intended to be the beginning of continued training at the center.

Future training include intermediate sewing, tailoring, advanced garment construction, production techniques, and business skills such as costing, pricing, bookkeeping, marketing, product photography, and sales.

The longer-term goal is to help participants use their skills in production, employment, or self-employment.

MEET THE LEADERSHIP

Leadership 1

Our leadership team is dedicated to advancing education, economic opportunity, and community development across Africa. Working closely with local partners and communities, they provide the guidance, oversight, and strategic direction that help African Leadership create lasting impact.

PROGRAM LOCATION

FAQ

The program supports survivors of trafficking and abuse, with a focus on helping them find safety, receive support, and develop skills for work and income.
The planned campus will bring together safe housing, trauma therapy, job skills training, and employment and job-placement support.
The Franschhoek Community Sewing Center is part of the job skills training program. It is being established to help women who have experienced abuse, hardship, and vulnerability develop sewing and tailoring skills.
The first sewing program is planned for approximately 12 women with little or no previous sewing experience. The initial program will run for eight weeks and cover sewing fundamentals, garment construction, and basic production and business skills.
The program is designed to give women skills they can use to pursue employment, sewing work, production opportunities, or self-employment.

African Leadership is an initiative of Fuel A Fire, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States. All donations are processed by Fuel A Fire and directly support African Leadership programs. Our Tax ID is EIN: 83-0425133.

We follow the "friends-of" model to collect tax-deductible donations in support of African Leadership programs. Donations can be made securely online, via wire transfer, or by check. Tax receipts are automatically issued after each successful contribution.

100% of donations go directly to community programs, including education, teacher support, fish farming projects, skills training, and community development initiatives across Africa.

Administrative and operational costs are covered separately, helping maximize the impact of donor contributions.

For more information, please email us at