When Blessing’s family joined the Life Child programme in 2019, they were facing an impossible situation.

After his parents divorced, Blessing and his siblings were raised by their elderly grandfather while their mother struggled with mental health challenges. Their grandfather was the family’s only provider.

Only weeks after joining the programme, tragedy struck. Their grandfather passed away suddenly after a short illness, leaving the family without any source of income.

At the time, Blessing was still in school, but even in the middle of loss and uncertainty, his talent for sewing began to stand out.

He had learned basic skills while helping his grandfather and inherited his sewing machine after his passing. Through Life Child, Blessing received support to continue developing his sewing skills, while the family was assisted with monthly food parcels and school fees.

While still completing school, Blessing began sewing small items for people in his community, sometimes earning just one or two dollars at a time. Yet even those small amounts helped feed his family.

After completing Form 4 (the final year of secondary school before college or vocational studies in Zimbabwe), Blessing chose to pursue sewing professionally. Life Child helped fund his training, and soon after, he was given the opportunity to work with one of Zimbabwe’s leading fashion designers.