For the Don Bosco Technical College sewing course lecturer, the arrival of 10 industrial sewing machines courtesy of good Samaritans abroad, was the final part of her jigsaw puzzle.

Tasileta Tagiilima, who introduced the popular sewing course program at the Don Bosco Technical College three years ago, was emotional and lost for words as she looked at the plastic covered Grolin industrial sewing machines now sitting in her sewing classroom.

She said it was a dream come true for her to have the machines installed and ready for use by her third-year sewing class students. 

Funding for the machines came courtesy of the Australian Salesian Mission Overseas Aid Fund (ASMOAF).

“It is my dream for this building to have all the material including sewing machines for the sewing classes so the ladies and the community can come here to have this talent in sewing so the funding came from the Salesian community in Australia,” Mrs Tagiilima told the Samoa Observer on Friday.

“I did not expect this funding assistance so fast because this is the third year and we have the girls and we add the trades for cooking and sewing in this school.

“I thank God because I did not expect it to be so fast and it is because I was hoping that I could get funding because these girls will have to go for their work experience, this is the kind of industrial machines they are going to use in the factory for their program for six weeks.”

The timing of the arrival of the funding assistance from ASMOAF was perfect as the lecturer's third year students are due to undertake their 6-weeks job experience this year, and sending them into the workforce without hands-on experience in the use of industrial sewing machines did not sit well with her.

“I was sorry for them because if they went for work experience, they would not be equipped with the skills to use industrial machines, until this funding assistance came through for them to learn new skills.

“But the Bible says if you have faith and believe in God, God will have time so this is the time because we were chatting with some of the priests and I said I really need some help. 

“But I didn’t expect this funding assistance gift from Salesian.”

Last Friday, assisted by a number of her students and her teaching assistant, they officially commissioned the brand new sewing machines.

However, Mrs Tagiilima revealed that the College ordered the machines from a local supplier in Apia, after ASMOAF stepped forward with the funding assistance. 

And the local supplier gave the College a discount for all the machines, compelling the sewing lecturer to acknowledge the generosity of local Chinese businesswoman Jin Lean.

“She [Jin Lean] gave a discount price for the industrial sewing machines and even donated a large box of free material for our sewing classes,” Mrs Tagiilima said.

However, with her project of installing industrial sewing machines about to come to an end, the sewing lecturer said her next task now is to make the classroom environment conducive in order to maintain the state of the machines.

The classroom that currently houses the new machines will need to be fitted with air conditioning in order to maintain the longevity of her course’s assets. And Mrs Tagiilima hopes a local good Samaritan can step forward to assist them tick that box, for the benefit of Samoa’s next generation of tailoring and sewing seamstresses. To assist, call the College on telephone 24637.