The 2020-2021 Sewing Course started in mid October 2020 with ten female students who currently live in poverty. The training went very well for five months, until the end of March. There were 22 lessons amongst the total 39 that had been taught to the trainees, both in theory and practice. Unfortunately, our vocational training class and all schools in Cambodia were closed by the order of the government because of the large outbreak of Covid 19 in Phnom Penh, and led to the spread in the entire country.
Unlike the English classes, sewing training requires hands on teaching. The students need to practice their work with hands and machines in place immediately after the theoretical learning. Moreover, while the students are doing their practical work, it is important that they need to be observed, checked, and controlled, by the teacher. So online classes for this training does not work well, and that’s why all activities were totally postponed until the end of August, 2021.
Anyway, the vaccinations for adults in Cambodia is going very well and all ten students and the KKO teachers got their vaccinations. Not so long after they got vaccinated, the Provincial Governor of Siem Reap issued an official letter, indicating that we could reopen the sewing training program. Following the strict rules of health practices, the students were split into two groups, and rooms, to make sure they did not stay in large groups. Temperature checks, and the wearing of masks, are strictly implemented daily. Finally, we started our sewing class again on the 23rd of August, after the long five month break.
The sewing trainer and students are very happy to be back to their class again. They began with lesson reviews for the first week, and continued with lesson number 23.
