Save Alice from Homelessness

LIFT ALICE OUT OF HOMELESSNESS

We wish you – our dear donors, a Happy New Year and we say a BIG THANK YOU to for your generous donations. You could easily have used your well-earned money for several other things, but you chose to support Alice to become self-employed as a fashion designer. Today Alice is happy and pursuing her dream of creating beautiful clothing for people. She is learning money management, attention to body shape and color; and good customer relations in the fashion business. She has learnt the importance of “making the person look good” in what she has designed for them instead of creating a good design that does not sit well on the person. This will ensure customer satisfaction and retention. We worked with her to establish realistic prices (input-output-profit considerations), for customers and made “fitting sessions” mandatory.

“Save Alice From Homelessness” is one of the projects under our “Support 20 Youth Incubators A Year Programme. Alice has so far produced 10 tailor-made dresses. She has now submitted designs for her own line, which will be augmented by designs by Totally Youth for production from March 2014, for sale as “ready-mades”. Currently, we are reviewing how much time she takes to design, draft, cut and construct different types of clothing. This will ensure that she gives customers accurate time slots for fitting and pick-up of tailor-made clothing. This will also help her plan in a practical way, her “wholesale” project to produce monthly batches of clothing for distribution and sale.We have made a signboard to attract customers and we have given her complimentary cards to distribute and promote her start-up.

Your donation of US$260 augmented our investments in Alice’s incubation. We provide her with funds for the purchase of requisite fabrics, lining and accessories on regular basis. She also receives an allowance for her return fare to TY on demand. Alice has access to a mobile phone and the ICT Centre for research, marketing and learning. She is learning money management, marketing and the development and use of management tools. She receives regular mentoring and feedback on the garments she makes to ensure quality and timeliness. Alice has not made any profits yet and therefore still has no money to rent her own accommodation. She is currently perching with friends since all the rooms at TY are occupied by other needy participants. We are continuing the search for affordable and safe lodgings for her.

Alice is a very good designer and we will be very grateful if our donors will consider patronizing her fashion lines and/or recommend them to family, friends and acquaintances. Please donate to http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-20-youth-incubators to continue supporting Alice and other unemployed youth into self-employment.

All donations of US$250 and above will receive a tailor-made outfit from the TY fashion line on submission of dress size. THANK YOU.