TEACHING SKILLS

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

BUILDING INDEPENDENCE

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Sewing Together is a creative educational and skills-development programme founded in 2018 by fashion designer and educator Maja Kotala.
It was created with a simple idea: to make fashion education and practical skills more accessible to women across Africa — teaching sewing, fashion design, pattern making and the business side of fashion, while creating opportunities for independent livelihoods.

But Sewing Together is about more than learning a practical skill.
There is also an important personal dimension to the programme: building confidence and helping women believe in their own abilities. Learning to create something with your own hands, seeing your skills improve and discovering that you can turn an idea into something real can change the way you see yourself and what you believe is possible.

Over the years, Sewing Together has grown from individual workshops into a network of creative spaces and collaborations across Africa. The programme has worked with women in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar, creating places where participants can learn, practice and develop their skills — and where knowledge can continue to be shared within local communities.

From Kimuli Fashionability in Uganda and the Nairobi Girls Training Centre with the Salvation Army, to the temporary training centre opened in Nyali in 2020 and EKotala School for Women in Bamburi in 2021, Sewing Together has continued to grow through local partnerships and shared ideas.

In 2021, Sewing Together joined forces with HAART Kenya to support women through skills development and economic empowerment. In 2022, the programme expanded to Tanzania through a collaboration with SisterHoodie Tanzania, and to Madagascar through a partnership with Unaweza Foundation, where a sewing space was created next to Beyzym Hospital.

In 2023, Sewing Together also became part of the story behind the Victoria Rally — bringing together sewing, education, travel and women’s health through practical workshops across Africa.

In 2024, Sewing Together delivered practical training in Voi, introducing women to the basics of fashion design, sewing and simple pattern making. The workshops also included making reusable sanitary pads and basic menstrual health education.

In 2025, Sewing Together delivered practical fashion and sewing training in Bamba, introducing participants to basic pattern making, garment construction and reusable sanitary pad production, alongside menstrual health education.

TODAY, SEWING TOGETHER IS ABOUT:

SKILLS
CREATIVITY
CONFIDENCE
INDEPENDENCE
OPPORTUNITY

It is about creating spaces where women can learn, make, experiment, earn, believe in themselves and pass knowledge on.

EKotala School for Women is a permanent Sewing Together space in Bamburi, Mombasa, providing young women with access to practical education in sewing, fashion design and related skills. Named after Maja's father, the school continues Sewing Together's work of creating opportunities through creative education.

KARIBU !

COUNTREIS

WORKSHOPS

375

STUDENTS

780KG

UPCYCLED MATERIALS

SEWING TOGETHER PRINCIPLES

FREE & ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION

FIGHTING MENSTRUAL POVERTY

We provide practical training in sewing, fashion design, pattern making and other creative skills, making education accessible to women who may not otherwise have the opportunity to study fashion.

We teach women and girls how to make reusable sanitary pads and provide practical menstrual health education, helping them manage menstruation with greater confidence and dignity.

UPCYCLING / SUSTAINBILITY

FIGHTING
POVERTY PORN

We transform available and discarded materials — from cement and sugar bags to bedsheets and sails — into everyday fashion pieces.

We believe storytelling should show people as individuals — with skills, ideas, ambitions and agency — rather than reducing their lives to images of poverty. We want to share stories that are honest, nuanced and respectful.