Stitching hope: Schlip seamstress aims to pass skills to the next generation

Staff Reporter

ANNA Tases (55) of Schlip is using her sewing skills to support her family while encouraging young people in her community to learn a trade that could help them earn a living in an area where employment opportunities remain limited.

For more than a decade, Tases has relied on needlework to generate an income, making and altering clothing for residents of Schlip and surrounding areas. While the work helps her provide for her household, she says her greatest ambition is to see local youth learn the skill and use it to create opportunities for themselves.

Tases moved to Schlip in 2009 after her employers relocated to South Africa. It was while working for a woman involved in sewing that she developed a passion for needlework.