When her child was born, Rachel had been prepared to sacrifice her own career and social life to bring up a new life and a happy family wholeheartedly. However, the family of three had to dwell in a subdivided flat, with her husband being the sole breadwinner. Rachel wanted to get a job and support the family, but how could she manage with a young daughter around? After joining The Salvation Army Handmade 3.0 Project, she realised that her daughter was not a burden but the best business partner.

Two years ago, Rachel learnt that The Salvation Army Handmade 3.0 Project was organising free leather crafting workshop for grassroots women. She was overjoyed, as she did not expect her daughter would be allowed in class, making it easier to take care of her. The project was best suited for Rachel because “there aren’t many parent-child classes available out there, and most of them are expensive”. From cutting, sewing to decorating, Rachel learnt all the skills from scratch. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and her skillful hands can now create many kinds of products such as leather roses, wallets and pouches. The Army puts their craftworks up for sale at the CNY Fair or art fairs. Online orders are taken to help increase the income of grassroots women.

The Salvation Army organises public exhibitions from time to time to showcase their creative talents. These activities are valuable opportunities for Rachel. “I’ve learnt many, many new things. Most importantly, I can bring along my daughter who helps preparing for the exhibitions.” Rachael continued, “At a DIY workshop of the exhibition, my daughter taught an elder boy to sew   buttons. I never thought she could do that! She was only 4 years old.” This little girl even came up with many creative ideas. “She can make a bow tie out of fabric scraps. This is something that has never crossed my mind.” Once, Rachel made a mistake when sewing, leaving a little loop on the product. Her daughter immediately took off her tiny piece of charm and put it onto the loop. “She instantly turned a flaw into a decoration.” Rachel said, “I believe that my daughter’s creative potentials have been discovered through the project. This is the greatest surprise to me.” She has also been inspired by her daughter’s interesting ideas.

Parent-child Partnership
All these opportunities for the mother-daughter cooperation have inspired Rachel: children can become partners of their parents. Together they can establish a “parent-child business”. Since then, she has turned her home into a little workshop where she can take care of her child and take up orders at the same time. Under the arrangement of The Salvation Army, she leads art and craft workshops organised by some corporations for their employees, through which she can gain some extra income for her family. Her daughter even took the initiative to recommend her mothers’ work to her teachers in the kindergarten, so that her mother could make corsages for its graduation ceremony.

Being able to strike a balance between taking care of her child and her career development, Rachel honestly thinks her life is now more fulfilling. The daughter is proud of her mother, while the mother is happy because of her daughter. Even her husband who is not part of the business supports them. A happy cycle in a family begins with a happy mother. 

Discovering Talents among Grassroots Women

The Salvation Army Handmade 3.0 Project is devoted to discovering the art and craft talents among grassroots women. Through craft workshops  organised by business corporations and selling products at art fairs, the women’s income can be increased, raising their self-confidence. They can also take care of their children and establish their career at home.