Monrovia – A hundred and forty-seven students have received certificates completing various levels of the Alfalit Skills Training program; which marked 4th closing and second graduation exercises for the 2016 and 2017 tailoring program.
Live skills program is part of Alfalit International Program in Liberia aimed at empowering students of the literacy program upon acquiring basic reading and writing skills as a form of economic empowerment.
About 40 students graduated completing the advance stage of the program while 107 have now move to advance stages of the skills program to continue their learning to adequately prepare them for the job market.
Excitement among students the students of their newly acquired skills were overwhelming as they believe the skills impacted into them by the organization has not just added value to their lives, but serves as the gateway to reducing poverty and hunger in their families by putting their hands to work and earning their own money.
“With my tailoring skills, I can now open my own tailoring shop and become my own boss and the money I will earn can feed my family and reduce my poverty” Sarah Barchue said joyously.
Sarah like many other women who completed levels 1, 2, and 3 got enrolled into the skills training program are now grateful that after learning how to read and write in the literacy program can now boast of having a skills for an improved living.
“I feel happy that I can read, write and I now have a skill through Alfalit that will help my husband and my children” she said.
Sarah started the Alfalit program in 2013, but says she with her graduation from the skills program she now has a plan of enrolling into a night school to further her education which will subsequently allow her graduate from high school.
Her husband Ezekiel Kamara, she added has been a supporter and an inspiration to her education and further wants her continue her education.
Speaking at the occasion, Director of the Alfalit Liberia, Rev. Emmanuel Giddings encouraged the students to always seeks excellence in whatever they do and especially with the new skills acquired to enable them deliver excellent work for their would be customers.
He also cautioned them to be time conscious and speak truth to their customers so as to enable the customers build trust in their service delivery; but said such can only be done when the students seek excellent in their delivery with their newly acquired tailoring skills.
“Don’t tell somebody to come for their clothes on Friday and then when they come, you tell them Tuesday, it would drive away your customers, so be excellent in your delivery. Rev. Giddings cautioned the students as saying.
The December 8th graduation marked the 2nd graduation and 4th closing exercises of the job live skill program putting the total of students into the program to over 700 from 2013 to present.