A tailoring machine, a new skill and a path to independence
Caroline Nuwamanya lost her hearing as a toddler. A tailoring course and a sewing machine gave her back her independence.
For Caroline Nuwamanya, the silence that came after sudden ear pain marked not just loss of hearing, but loss of belonging. Growing up as the only deaf child in a family of ten, she faced isolation at home and ridicule in the community.
At school, without teachers trained in sign language or peers who could communicate with her, learning became frustrating. "I would sit in class and not understand anything," she recalls. Eventually, she left school after Primary Seven.
That changed in 2024 when SDU connected Nuwamanya to vocational training at the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) Vocational Training Centre in Kampala, where she pursued a one-year tailoring course in an inclusive environment where communication was accessible.
At the end of her training, SDU supported Nuwamanya with a tailoring machine. Today, she works from home, offering tailoring and repair services to her community. Each stitch represents not just a skill, but a step toward independence.
"That was the happiest time for me. I could learn, communicate, and feel like I was part of something." — Caroline Nuwamanya