Vivid Emporium trains young girls in Batik Arts & Tailoring in the Bureh and Kent Communities

Freetown | 6th July 2022 | Vertex Media

Vivid Emporium, a leading brand in fashion designs and marketing, is currently undertaking an eight-month BATIK ARTS training project for young girls, held at the Vivid Emporium Gardens, Bureh Village, Freetown Peninsula. The project targets more 20 girls living in the Bureh and Kent Communities.

According to the CEO and Founder of Vivid Emporium Initiatives, Entrepreneur, model and fashionista – Kadiatu Kamara noted that the project is designed to empower young girls and women who hasn’t had the opportunity to further their formal education, “and it’s a way of giving back to the community. The program is 100% free,” she said.

“We want to make these ladies become self reliance by empowering them in skills that will give them livelihoods and self employment in the near future.”

Apart from the free trainings offered to these girls, Vivid Emporium also provide them with food every time they have a training session. Trainings take place twice a week, every Saturday and Sunday at the Vivid Emporium Gardens, Bureh Village.

The Batik Arts Project involves batik arts and tailoring. In the batik arts sessions, the girls will learn how to draw images and designs, colour combination and selection, and a lot more.

This is the 7th week of an eight-month long free training project. Training materials, ink, food, etc, are all provided by Vivid Emporium by sales made from the product, with no outside support.

“I started this with no support. I’m sustaining this with sales made from the products we make”, Kadiatu Kamara

“We are calling on the government and others in the private sector to support this initiative so that we can expand it to benefit more girls and women.”

Speaking to the girls on Saturday July 2nd, Kadiatu admonished and encourage them to take the training with the seriousness and commitment required from them.

“Learning a trade is very very important. Because of what my trade has done for me, that’s why anywhere I go, I always try to spread it to others, so that they too can benefit from it.”

“I applaud you all for the decisions you made to come and learn something new. And I want to assure you that as long as you desire and ready to commit yourself, we are ready to support you.”

The CEO Kadiatu also explained that the ladies do prepare their food every time they come for training, method she uses to build bond and womanhood amongst them.

“I introduced the cooking aspect because I want you as girls to have a common meeting point and learn from each other, and promote womanhood. It was deliberate that I ensure that you prepare your lunch anytime you have a training session.”

The ladies were also introduced to a young Sierra Leonean woman – Lady Suma who has also acquired skills in Batik Arts and Tailoring. Suma gave a talk to the girls, highlighting her journey so far and how she has been able to sustain herself through her acquired skills and trade.

Suma explained that she dropped out of school due to circumstances beyond her control, but she chose to learn a new trade in Batik arts, gara dying and tailoring.

“This has my source of livelihood and income generation, from which I also support my family.”

“I’m encouraging you to take this training very serious. It’s an opportunity given to you, make use of it. Others are paying huge money to learn these skills, but you are getting it for free here. So take it serious.”

Vivid Emporium is well regarded for giving back to the communities, supporting the poor or less privilege in society. The company has donated food, clothing and medical support to many people across Freetown in the past years.