Sewing Her Dreams into Reality

Once a child labourer in Dhaka in Bangladesh, 16-year-old Faiza is now shaping her own future with each stitch.

When Faiza was 12 years old, her father was injured at work while carrying cement sacks. Unable to earn money anymore, he could no longer support Faiza’s education. It was a very stressful time, as the family of five had to find ways to cope with the living expenses. 

Faiza and her sister had to stop studying and start working in a leather factory,  handling various chemicals to make leather hand-gloves. Due to repeated chemical exposure during her work, she developed a skin disease on her hands.

She earned 4,500 taka a month (S$1.70 a day). The job was hazardous as she had to work with chemicals and the factory did not provide any gloves. Her hands were often covered in bruises, sores, and scars.

Despite the pain, she knew how poor and helpless her parents were. She had no choice but to endure it. The pain became a part of her daily life for three years.

“I used to come back from work with my hands burning in pain that I was not able to eat with my own hands,” Said Faiza.

In 2023, Faiza heard from her neighbourhood about World Vision’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme where she could learn sewing. She seized the opportunity and learnt to sew. With the training and a sewing machine she received, Faiza found a way out of the hazaradous factory job. She now earns 5,000 taka per month tailoring from her home. 

“I am very happy now, as I can sew clothes at home to support my family financially, help with household chores and look after my family. In the future, I want to open up a tailor shop and teach other girls who do not get the opportunities to learn sewing. I do not want any other child to go through the same pain I went through.”

Find out more about our work to:

• Help Child Labourers Go Back to School in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Support Children in the Slums to help urban poor children thrive.