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Ghadeer Ahmed Overcame Challenges to Become the Leading Seamstress in Her Village

NAHR - Tuesday, 15 July, 2025

She always dreamed of becoming a seamstress. She tried learning sewing from some women in her village but didn’t succeed. Yet, her determination and desire to learn drove her to become the number one seamstress in her area. The challenges she faced—poverty, household responsibilities, her children, the mountainous terrain of her region, the rugged roads, and the long distance to Al-Mahwit city—prevented her from attending a sewing training center there, forcing her to postpone her dream temporarily.

This is Ghadeer Ahmed, a young woman in her twenties from the Hawa’a area in the highlands of Khamis Bani Sa’d District.

Ghadeer is one of the beneficiaries of a project aimed at enhancing the resilience of women’s groups through training and income improvement in the governorates of Sa’dah, Hajjah, and Al-Mahwit. The project is implemented by NAHR with support from the German Foreign Agency (BMZ) through the international organization Roya Amal.

During the first phase, the project targeted the training of 87 girls in sewing, perfume and incense making, beekeeping, and livestock rearing in Khamis Bani Sa’d District, Al-Mahwit Governorate.

Ghadeer says, "This project was the starting point that would help me achieve my dream. I had been waiting for it for so long."

In October 2024, NAHR launched the training program activities. At that time, Ghadeer had not yet fully recovered—only 20 days had passed since she gave birth. Her family feared she might miss the training due to her health condition.

Ghadeer recalls, "I was torn. I wanted to join the training center, but my postpartum period wasn’t over yet, and I hadn’t regained my strength. I had a newborn who needed care. I was very confused and afraid my dream would slip away."

Ghadeer weighed her dream against the challenges she faced and decided to take on the challenge—joining the training program while caring for her child and family at the same time.

Fatima Al-Mahya, the sewing trainer at the Hawa’a center, says, "From the very first day, Ghadeer was enthusiastic. She had a passion for learning. She asked about the smallest details—the fabric, the sewing machine, the designs. In short, Ghadeer wanted to create something for herself."

She adds, "The practical training was an opportunity for Ghadeer to apply what she learned in theoretical lectures, whether in shaping, cutting, or training. She always tried to innovate new things."

After receiving a sewing machine and supplies and training on how to use them, Ghadeer began sewing dresses for little girls at home. The next day, she would discuss technical details with her trainer, make adjustments, and create new, albeit simple, designs. She even started selling her products while still in training.

After six months of training, Ghadeer and her fellow trainees were able to sew and embroider various designs for girls’ and women’s dresses—even evening and wedding dresses were showcased at the "Rural Girls’ Products Exhibition" organized by NAHR to display the trainees’ work.

By the end of the sewing training program, Ghadeer had taken the first steps in her new career and was on the verge of achieving her dream—becoming the leading seamstress in her village. She had already begun sewing various women’s clothing designs for the women in her village and held great hope that her products would reach all districts of Al-Mahwit Governorate by contracting with clothing stores or marketing them through specialized associations and centers in the governorate.