More than 9,000 miles away in Uganda, Juan Mary also adapted her work this year. Ms. Mary, 23, has plans to open her own fashion and design shop, thanks to training she received from the International Rescue Committee, another organization supported by The Fund.
Ms. Mary fled civil unrest in South Sudan with her brother and came to Uganda in 2016. She joined her mother in Kampala. Their minimal income came from roasting ground nuts, which can be used in making peanut butter or as snacks.
Ms. Mary enrolled in the Livelihood Resource Center, which is run by the International Rescue Committee and offers training in baking, tailoring and hairdressing. In her class of 50, Ms. Mary was a star student, she said through an interpreter. She said she excelled at the work and showed a keen interest during the nine months of training.
Graduates of the vocational training were commissioned to make masks in response to the pandemic. The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, which is part of the U.S. State Department, paid for the material and machinery. The International Rescue Committee covered the labor costs with support from The Fund.
Each tailor, including Ms. Mary, earned the approximate equivalent of $246 for 900 masks.
During a video chat, she displayed some of her handiwork, including a dress with a red and yellow heart-shaped bodice that met a forest green fabric at the waist, and a skirt with diamond shapes of blue, orange and yellow.
Ms. Mary, who has a newborn girl, Poni, hopes to eventually be joined by her husband, a car mechanic who remained in South Sudan. In the meantime, she said, she is happy to be earning money and looks forward to opening her own business so she can help support her mother and brother, and train others in tailoring.
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