The Thiabecare sewing center offers girls excluded from the education system a space for learning and development. Thanks to this training, they have the means to emancipate themselves and be the actors of their own future.
It’s a little over ten o’clock on this December morning. The sky is clear and an air of joy floats over Thiabecare, a village located in the commune of Dindéfélo (district of Bandafassi), which is usually calm.
The roar of Jakarta motorcycles breaks the silence and maintains a noisy atmosphere. The women are in their finest and arrive in small groups. This day is special for these families since 17 of their daughters will receive their certificate after completing their one-year sewing training at the workshop, the training center created by the founder of the “Tako Mayo” camp, Alpha Diallo.
The man works a lot in the social sector by investing part of his income. He is helped by the family of Susana Torre and the “Bassari d’Afia Thiabecare” association. If in the towns people are preparing to celebrate Christmas, the populations of the commune of Dindéfelo, and even beyond, celebrate their daughters who now have a professional qualification. The workshop offered them a second chance to succeed and flourish in life. The bet was not easy.
In this environment, opportunities are not numerous and girls quickly drop out of school. Radiant faces, the learners wear long light blue dresses. Aissatou Diallo, 16, is over the moon. She is one of the recipients. Living in Kédougou with her mother, she stopped her studies in 6th grade at college.
“I was not a brilliant student. After a year of study, I had to stop because I was bored,” confides the young girl. Fair complexion, slender waist, Miss Diallo is very beautiful. In a burst of laughter, she indicates that there is no shortage of suitors. The same enthusiasm lives in Mariama Sira Diallo, 18 years old.
“Before coming to the Tako Mayo camp, I didn’t know what to do with my life. I was a little lost. Thanks to sewing classes, I discovered a passion. I am proud of myself and I thank Alpha for giving me this opportunity,” says the young girl.
Originally from the village of Palèle Kindassa in the commune of Dindéfélo, she was enrolled in the workshop by her mother after dropping out of school, a year after gaining entry to 6th grade. In the area, she specifies, abandonments are frequent, particularly among girls. We then understand their joy and their pride. “I am happy with my daughter. I didn’t hope that she could have a professional qualification by leaving school early,” confides Hawka Touré, all smiles.
Two of his daughters went through the workshop before he married them off. “This training allowed them to have a job. In their household, they do sewing which brings them money. Thanks to their income, they meet their needs and help their husbands,” rejoices Mr. Touré.
“Thanks to sewing classes, I discovered a passion”
-The learners, often from low-income families, say that the workshop instills them with positive energy. If the girls foresee marriage, many have ambitions at the end of training. Some plan to complete their training and open their own workshop. “I’m going to rest for a month. Then, I will go to Kédougou to improve my cutting skills before settling in my village,” says Mariama Sira Diallo, who has a fiancé living in Dakar.
The most ambitious dream of becoming great seamstresses like Néné Diallo. Today, Alpha Diallo is overwhelmed by requests. They come from the entire Bandafassi district and even from border villages in the Republic of Guinea. However, at the beginning, he had to be persuasive to convince parents to let their children come to the workshop to learn a trade and have a profession.
“In the first year, the center only had three students. Many parents were reluctant to have me keep their daughters in the workshop for a year,” confides Alpha Diallo, with a mischievous smile. Since then, things have evolved. Positively. The lists are completed quickly. Some girls wait a year or even two years. The workshop also seems to sow altruism in them. All the girls dream of opening training centers to help their younger sisters who left school early.
“The workshop gave the girls a space to learn and grow and gave them confidence and new perspectives. Thanks to the training, they have the means to emancipate themselves and be the actors of their own future,” declares Idrissa Camara, trainer at the workshop. Without providing figures, the mayor of the commune of Dindéfélo, who was keen to attend the training certificate award ceremony, underlines that the school dropout rate is high in the area because of the difficulties linked, among other things, to accommodation, early marriages. Kikala Diallo salutes the work of the founder of the camp Tako Mayo.
“In addition to training girls, Alpha has achieved numerous achievements in the commune and district of Bandafassy. He always has happy initiatives that improve the daily lives of the population,” he says. However, the councilor would have liked the benefactor of the community to benefit from recognition and support from state authorities. This lack of support angers Hawka Touré.
“With everything that Alpha Diallo does, no authority has come to see him, let alone support him, even though it is the State that should have done this work,” he fumes. “The ministers of family, professional training, education and health were to come here to Thiabecaré to encourage him,” he adds.
This father knows the benefits of this training. By acquiring sewing skills, young girls can find employment and earn an income. The most enterprising can even create their own business, thus gaining autonomy.
By Mamadou GUEYE
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