BERNINA Corporate Blog -In April 2023, our sales team received an email from social worker Vera Leibundgut, informing us about a project in Kenya. Vera is a member of a Swiss association that supports the Harrison’s Primary School, an elementary school near Mombasa. She wrote to us explaining that a sewing workshop was being set up at the school to provide mothers with an opportunity to create a sustainable source of income. To successfully implement the project, sewing machines were urgently needed.
Harrison’s Primary School was founded in 2014 by Harrison Nyundo and his wife Grace in a region marked by poverty. In collaboration with local village leaders, Harrison and Grace began providing meals for children and establishing a school. At first, they taught the classes themselves since there were no funds for trained teachers. Initially, only five children attended the school; today, there are more than 200 students. Over the years, the school has been able to hire more and more qualified teachers.
BERNINA decided to donate five bernette machines for the planned workshop. In January, Vera (pictured on the left) and a friend picked up the machines, which they then transported to Kenya as slightly oversized carry-on luggage.
Recently, we received a report from Vera, which we are pleased to share below:
BERNINA’s Contribution to Our Heartfelt Project in Kenya
In Fall 2023, we were able to open a sewing workshop at Harrison’s Primary School in Kenya. This was made possible through the generous donation of five bernette sewing machines from BERNINA. This support showed us that BERNINA believes in us and our project—and that belief gives us tremendous strength and motivation to keep going.
Since 2018, Harrison’s Primary School has been the heart of our work. It is more than just a school—it is a place of hope and change for many children living in a region where access to education is far from guaranteed. What began as a small initiative has, over the years, grown into a significant project, reaching more and more children and their families. In 2023, we took another important step: we opened a sewing workshop that not only supports the school but also transforms the lives of young women in Kenya in a sustainable way.
Children Often Join Their Mothers in the Sewing Workshop
In the sewing workshop, Jackline, a talented seamstress, works passionately and devotedly to pass on her skills.
Jackline sewing a bag
She is currently training ten young women who previously had little access to education. Many of them did not finish school and faced an uncertain future. The sewing workshop offers them a new chance—a chance they never had before.
Jackline is teaching them not only the craft of sewing but also what it means to believe in themselves and invest in their own futures. It’s heartwarming to see these women grow, and to witness their joy and pride when they create something new or hold a finished product in their hands.
The Workshop Has Already Made a Big Impact
In a short time, the sewing workshop has achieved remarkable things. The seamstresses have sewn school uniforms for the children at Harrison’s Primary School, which they now proudly wear in class. Together, we have also made bags and clothing, which we are now even selling in Switzerland. The proceeds go directly toward further expanding the workshop, allowing us to secure the ongoing education of these young women.
The young seamstresses start by learning to sew with mechanical machines before moving on to the bernette machines.
A fabric bag from the Harrison’s Primary School workshop
The Workshop Is More Than Just a Job Opportunity
For the women and their families, the sewing workshop means so much more than just a professional perspective. It gives them hope, courage, and the chance to lead self-determined lives. Many of them can now afford to send their children to school, taking an important step out of poverty. Beyond that, our project strengthens the local community and creates jobs.
We invite you to learn more about the project on our website, where we regularly share insights into our work and updates from the sewing workshop. Visit us and follow along on this journey. If you would like to support our project, you also have the opportunity to donate. Every contribution helps us expand the sewing workshop and provide a better future for the women and children in Kenya. We would be incredibly grateful for your support!
A Huge Thank You to BERNINA
A massive thank you goes out to BERNINA for their generous support. This shows us just how much we can achieve together. Thank you for giving the women in Kenya hope and a real perspective for the future.
With heartfelt thanks,
Harrison’s Primary School – Vera Leibundgut
What a beautiful report! However, the credit does not go to BERNINA, but to the team at Harrison’s Primary School, who are working to ensure that people in Kenya can grow up without hunger and poverty, but with an education. If our machines make a small contribution to opening up future prospects for young women in Africa, we are delighted.
Dear readers, would you like to help yourself? Then become a patron of Harrison’s Primary School! You can find all the information about the project on the following website: https://harrisonsprimaryschool.com/
What a wonderful contribution from Bernina. That is a great way to express you commitment not only to further advance sewing but to give hope and smiles to the women who are trying to make a change.I have been sewing with Berninas for over 50 years. Love my brand.
How wonderful to know that there are those who care for others who do not have the opportunities that we of the “western world” enjoy so freely! May your work continue to bless those people with education, encouragement, and supplies to help them on their way to improve their lives and the lives of their family members.