Just in time before our departure from Maputo, the Khovo Sewing Project was officially opened on August 19th 2011. Not only were Hillian and I present at the ceremony, but we were privileged to be the recipients of the first official output: two sweat shirts resplendently embroidered with our names!
As Secretary of the Project, Argentina Langa (who will be remembered by some of our synod members as one of the visitors from 2004) read out a statement recalling the history of the project. She was joined by the President, Amelia Tovela, and the Treasurer, Etelvina Vilanculo, all three of them wives of IPM ministers who are based at Khovo and have leading 
positions within the Church’s central governance.
Our own synod first heard of the proposals when Ernesto Langa and José Tovela visited us on their way to the 2010 General Assembly and brought the first draft of a proposal for the project. When our moderator and group of young adults visited later in the summer they saw for themselves where the project was to be housed, and ensured that it became the focus of our fund-raising for our global partner church.
At the end of the year we were able to send the required money, and since then this has been used to buy the equipment (two state of the art sewing machines) and materials, and to renovate the premises. Also, the three women have had lessons on how to use the machines – and we have been assured that technical advice will remain at hand whenever they need it.
The final step was the installation of electricity – and once that was complete the project was ready to roll, following an opening ceremony with speeches, prayers and extraordinarily large cakes – as well of course as the finishing and handing over of the two sweat shirts. In her statement Argentina thanked our churches for their generosity in supporting the project, and asked us to share with them all that we had seen and heard about it. We were told that they are hopeful of developing business first of all through the churches, but that they also hope that this may turn into a pilot project, and may help other churches find ways of developing similar work for themselves.
After the initial setting up costs there is a small balance in hand, which has been added to by a generous gift from a colleague of mine. This should allow for remedial work that still needs to be done to the roof – we could see daylight through the corrugated iron in places, and the rainy season is approaching – , and maybe provide for the first stage of upgrading the machines. For it’s clear that these three women have ambitions!.jpg)
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John Durell
Since this was written, we have heard that the Project has succeeded to the extent that it is now employing two further women