A Late Start, Not a Lost Chance: Sumbanori Khadija's Story

For Khadija, the TUMA Project opportunity collided with one of the most demanding seasons of her life. She was heavily pregnant when the bootcamp began, she gave birth shortly after, and then watched her plans slip further as her newborn fell ill. By the time she was able to report to training, a full month had passed since her cohort started.

In many programs, a delay like that would mean falling permanently behind or dropping out altogether. For Khadija, it didn't, largely because the people around her refused to let it. Her trainer kept in touch throughout her absence, sending regular updates so she wouldn't lose the thread of what she was missing. And when she finally reported, her colleagues stepped in without being asked. As her trainer observed during a monitoring visit, "her colleagues assist her in learning some of the things they had learnt in her absence" turning what could have been a solitary catch-up into a shared effort.

The support worked. By her second month in training, despite starting a month behind everyone else Khadija was operating her sewing machine effectively and moving through the fundamentals: cutting techniques, sewing a straight line, hemming. She describes a learning environment that pushes her forward without discouraging her: "Our trainer applauds us when we do it right and corrects us," she says a balance of encouragement and honest feedback that has kept her motivated even after such a difficult entry point.

For Khadija, the most concrete marker of change is that she has something of her own "Through TUMA project, I have my own machine and I can sew," she says simply. What started as a pregnancy-interrupted, illness-delayed, month-late beginning has become a functioning skill and a piece of equipment that is hers proof that a late start, backed by the right support, doesn't have to mean a missed opportunity.

Khadija is one of many young entrepreneurs supported through TUMA Project across Savannah and North-East Regions.

TUMA Project | Wilde Ganzen | 2025-2027

Documented by TUMA project team.

2026