More than 300 Latin Anerican women in Trinidad and Tobago have been trained in the Textile Entrepreneurship Route programme sponsored by the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) through the NGO TTV Solidarity Network (TTVSolnet).
On Saturday 125 migrants received sewing machines after completing the basic online sewing course.
Heidi Diquez, founding member/managing director of TTVSolnet, said: "Textile Entrepreneurship Route is a project born from the need to support migrant women in TT who, due to their immigration status and stay in the country, do not have with the same opportunity to achieve their economic stability and the progress they all deserve."
The programme began in 2019, thanks to the alliance of TTVSolnet with the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), under a mandate from the Organization of American States (OAS) to especially support all those affected by the humanitarian and migration crisis in Venezuela.
The programme is financed by the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration.
The programme is only available to women in TT with irregular immigration status. Women from Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia participate in the courses, which are virtual, with a practical component lasting six weeks. Each student is given all the necessary material for the course.
Diquez said, “To date, the programme has trained more than 300 women, providing them with vocational training in the textile area from the basic sewing course, the manufacture of intimate apparel, repair and adjustment of garments and pattern-making, cutting and sewing.”
Diquez explained the project includes a special workshop on digital marketing in social networks that gave participants the tools to create virtual market spaces and help them promote their products and services.
“Another important part of the programme has been the alliance with IOM, who have supported it by providing sewing machines to all the graduates so they can produce from their homes.”
Diquez said at the end of the second cycle of training, "With great pride we congratulate all the women who participated in the workshops with commitment and effort to achieve their goals and delivery of projects."
She also thanked all the facilitators of workshops for sharing their knowledge and encouraging each student to achieve perfection and quality in all their creations.
“We thank all our collaborators, and especially PADF and IOM, for their trust and commitment in helping our population of women entrepreneurs in TT.”