By Isaac Salima:

Some two years ago, Rose Saidi was just an ordinary girl in Gladson Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Njema, Mulanje District.

Having graduated in fashion and design from Development Aid from People to People (Dapp) Mikolongwe Vocational School in Chiradzulu, Saidi had no idea how to make the most of the knowledge she had acquired.

She had helplessly resigned to fate, waiting for a window of opportunity to open.

Opportunity is said to rarely knock twice.

However, that was not the case with Saidi, who one day heard about a new programme introduced by Dapp.

This was the one-year Repair, Redesign and Reuse Project, launched by Dapp in 2024, aimed at training young women to reuse discarded textiles to create products.

Saidi was among 20 young women who enrolled in the programme and completed it within a year. She is now a role model in her village.

After undergoing training in reusing discarded materials, Saidi now runs a small-scale business, sewing and selling door mats, pillows and other valuable products made from second-hand clothes.

“I never thought I could turn old clothes into something valuable, but through the skills I acquired under the project, I can now earn an income, provide for my family and contribute to my community,” Saidi says.

On a bright Friday morning last week, we visited her in her village. Unlike a few years ago, Saidi now owns a sewing machine, which keeps her busy on daily basis.

She is able to produce a variety of items using textiles that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.

Saidi boasted that the business has transformed her life, enabling her to support herself and meet her family’s financial needs.

She said her vision is to establish a larger shop where she can continue tailoring while incorporating the innovations she learned from the project.

Another beneficiary of the project, Sunganani Kanjedza from Sabola Village in TA Sandraki, Phalombe District, also shared a success story.

Kanjedza, a 25-year-old single mother, has opened a small shop in her village where she uses her knowledge to transform textiles into income-generating products.

She dreams of expanding the shop so that, by 2026, she can employ and train fellow youths in her community.

“The project has empowered me to become my own boss. I can now create products that are not only eco-friendly but also provide a source of income for me and my family,” Kanjedza says.

The project aligns with Malawi 2063 (MW2063), the country’s long-term development plan, which aims to empower citizens to be productive and to take part in various aspects of national development.

Enabler number five of MW2063 focuses on human capital development through education and vocational training, among other initiatives.

The project, funded