The Textile Studio sewing project started in 2012 as an afternoon club for women at the Tongabezi Trust School - mostly mothers of our students - who wanted to acquire basic stitching experience. Since 2012, the ladies have joined together to sew on a casual basis and produced basic items for the Tongabezi Lodge and Tongabezi School. In 2020, a curriculum and training programme was established with a qualified vocational skills trainer at the centre. We follow the national TEVETA (Technical Vocational Education and Training Authority) curriculum which includes practical and theoretical exams throughout.

The Textile Studio has four main aims:

(1) To design, produce and sell high- quality products for the local and international market for financial sustainability of the centre

(2) Increase the employability, income and skills of women within Simonga by providing quality vocational training in a safe and professional environment

(3) To improve creativity, dexterity, and tailoring skills of current students at the Tongabezi Trust School to develop their future employment opportunities

(4) To centre all elements of project activity around environmental and socio-cultural sustainability through engaging in eco-friendly practices, as well as highlighting and making use of Indigenous Zambian Knowledge

The Bulumi Community Garden project provides a safe space for participants to learn agribusiness skills and alternative, environmentally-friendly farming practices. The word ‘Bulimi’ in the local Chitonga language means ‘farming as a lifestyle’. The course is 6-months long and has been designed in a family-friendly way so that mothers can bring their children to the garden too.

The Bulimi Garden has four main aims:

(1) Contribute toward reducing nutrition and food security concerns within Simonga by passing on vital knowledge in sustainable and organic farming methods.

(2) Improve human-animal conflict by working with local farmers to handle conflicts in a positive and productive way

(3) Increase the income of trainees by practising vegetable growing and marketing methods to generate sales and reduce household food expenditure.

(4) To centre all elements of project activity around environmental and socio-cultural sustainability through engaging in eco-friendly practices, as well as integrating gardening practises with the textile studio (natural dyes)

The Women’s Empowerment programme is run by Kasonde, our Guidance Counsellor, and is supported by centre management. The meetings take place once a week and provide a safe space to address the psycho-social needs of women in the local community. Unemployment, alcoholism, teenage pregnancies, early marriages, negative cultural practices, gender-based violence and high HIV/AIDs are some of the major areas of concern in Simonga.

The Women Empowerment programme aims to:

(1) Improve participants awareness about these issues and provide management and prevention strategies.

(2) Provide access to life skills training on child protection, goal setting, financial management, family planning, nutrition and hygiene to increase women's confidence to become more involved in local community decision-making.