After concluded the construction work at ESC – Escolinha de Santa Catarina, the ALG Community Courses were launched! 

In 2018 ALG started a new project at Escolinha de Santa Catarina’s facilities in Xai-Xai – the Community Centre. Having the Community Development and Female Emancipation at heart, the main goal of this initiative is to fight the poverty cycle through technical courses with the duration of 4 months. In 2018, we provided training in the areas of Baking and Sewing, which enables the community members to learn new skills with demand at local economy level. The underprivileged community parents, in Chongoene and surrounding areas, now have the possibility of making their own products, such as birthday cakes or clothing items, and to sell them, hence creating a source of income. 

At A Little Gesture we believe that building skills through education is the key to sustainability, dignity and to create more independent communities. The experimental phase included: the community’s mobilisation; setting-up goals; the development of an operational plan; the purchase of materials, equipment and payment for the monitors.

The project’s start-up had a total cost of £2845, which included the costs of sewing machines, cake tins, the first Escolinha de Santa Catarina stove and the trainer’s income. With the essential work and dedication of our Local Partners and Technicians, the courses began in less than two months, with a total of 31 students. We are now at the final stage and the products made by the community Parents are becoming more and more professional. The number of orders is increasing, and the birthday cakes are a huge success in the community! 

Help us to keep telling more stories like this in 2019, with a Little Gesture (here)