Economic Empowerment / Workforce Development / Job Placement / Entrepreneurship / Manufacturing
The Amani Sewing Academy offers a holistic workforce development program tailored to the needs of refugee women and survivors. More than just job skills training, the Academy provides comprehensive support services—including entrepreneurship coaching, job placement assistance, public benefits navigation, counseling, financial literacy education, and our unique ESL Buddy Project.
This initiative empowers women with marketable skills that lead to livable wages, fostering economic independence and long-term stability. By addressing both practical and emotional needs, the Academy creates pathways for success, resilience, and community integration.
WHAT WE AIM TO SOLVE
There's a high rate of unemployment among refugee women due to language barriers, access to transportation, digital divide, inability to navigate the system and basic work skills etc. AWC is providing the training to meet this need. We are helping bridge the gap between the number of workers skilled in sewing and the abundant jobs and opportunities available in this field.
Program Prepares Individuals To:
- Sew for themselves, their children and their families.
- Start their own home business.
- Employment at a sewing factory.
- Work at ASA as an assistant teacher.
- Earn income with AWC manufacturing team - (Contractual / Piecework).
- Get paid sewing for AWC social enterprise - Johari Africa©
- And much much more!
"ASA is a pathway to economic empowerment and self-sufficiency for a limited English proficiency population."
Classes & Training Milestones:
Phase 1:
- Upto 3-months of beginner's fundamentals.
- Upto 6-months of intermediary training.
- Upto 12-months plus of advanced applications.
Phase 2:
• Industrial Machine Operations and joining the manufacturing team.
ASA provides a safe space with sewing machines, industrial machines, a fabric room, instructors, counselors, case workers, and AWC Community Ambassadors. Students get a sewing kit, notions, fabrics, and all accessories etc.
• The program provides over 650 hours of training per year.
• Teaching, and preparing students (About 50 -75 women per year) to be workforce ready and able to start their own micro-enterprise.
• They graduate with certification and are gifted with a new sewing machine enabling them to start their own home business immediately.
• Some are able to join the workforce and become Certified sewing machine operators earning livable wages.
Workforce Deveplopment & Economic Empowerment
This is a workforce development, job placement and life-skills program that utilizes a holistic approach with wrap-around services for refugee survivors focusing on individual development, economic empowerment and wellbeing.
DEMOGRAPHICS
OUTCOMES
IMPACT
