"Passing on the profession" to strangers
Every morning at 8am, in a room of about 30 square metres, the rhythmic sound of sewing machines resonates, mingling with the chatter and laughter of the workers. Few people know that just a few years ago, their lives were extremely bleak.
Ms. Quy said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unemployed workers in the area increased day by day, even some families lost their jobs at the same time, making life difficult. Realizing that her sewing profession could help women improve their lives, Ms. Quy decided to open a free vocational training class.
"When I opened the sewing class, all I could think about was how to help people earn extra income to make ends meet," said Ms. Quy.
When the sewing class first started, the whole class only had 3 sewing machines, which Ms. Quy invested in with her own money. As the number of students increased and the facilities were not enough, Ms. Quy had to think of ways to arrange and schedule teaching time so that everyone could learn.
"At that time, the Women's Union of the commune knew that I taught vocational training for free, so they supported the class with 4 more sewing machines," said Ms. Quy.
According to Ms. Quy, it can take each student from about 1 week to 3 months to master cutting, sewing, and making a complete product.
"From mid-2023 until now, I have taught 18 women a trade, so that they can earn an average monthly income of 3 - 3.5 million VND," said Ms. Quy.
Not only does she teach free sewing, Ms. Quy also repairs and gives clothes to the elderly and children in difficult circumstances. For workers in difficult circumstances, Ms. Quy repairs for a flat price of 5,000 VND/item. Sometimes when she sees someone in difficult circumstances, she does not hesitate to give them a newly sewn outfit.
"People in the neighborhood sometimes have to save money to eat, so when I accept to repair a set of clothes or give them as a gift, I don't feel sorry," Ms. Quy confided.
Give letters to poor children
In addition to volunteer activities such as free sewing classes, sewing and repairing clothes for free for people, from 2022, Ms. Quy also opened reading and writing classes for poor children in the commune.
Ms. Quy said that in Pham Van Hai commune, Binh Chanh district (HCMC), there are still many children who cannot go to school because of their difficult family circumstances. Feeling sorry for the children who cannot go to school, Ms. Quy and some sisters in the sewing association established a charity class. The main source of funding comes from the association members, and some sponsors are also called for.
"We don't teach directly but ask the youth union members in the commune and friends in the education sector to come and support the children," said Ms. Quy.
Since this charity class was added, in addition to working at the sewing shop, Ms. Quy and her sisters have mobilized more donors to support books, pens, rulers, and textbooks to facilitate the teaching and learning of the children.
Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Binh - President of the Women's Union of Pham Van Hai commune said that Ms. Quy's contributions to activities to care for and support the poor in the commune are enormous. Ms. Quy has helped many families overcome the difficult period after the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to her sewing job, thanks to her free clothes and meals.
"Ms. Quy's work is not only practical but also a source of encouragement, calling for cooperation, solidarity, strengthening community awareness, helping to strongly develop the activities of the Commune Women's Union," said Ms. Binh.
