From machinist to mentor: Maria Brander's mission to uplift Beacon Valley

A former machinist from Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain is using "sewing" hope into her community by teaching them skills and has trained close to 700 people.

Maria Brander, 62, founder of the Sewing Academy Training School in Beacon Valley, said she is utilising her skills to educate people in her community to become employable, creating job opportunities for themselves.

She said it doesn't matter your age, whether you're wearing rags or homeless, she has trained over 690 people from the surrounding gang-ridden areas and is making a difference.   

Maria said “I don’t know what happened, but one day God just put it on my mind to help these people on the street.

"I asked Him to show me, and He said ‘teach my people, get them off the street’ and it was successful.

“If you walk this side by us, you see how the young boys and girls are standing on the corners smoking, doing drugs and being rude.

"But when people step in here, I can only say thank you, God, because when they are here, you see the difference and the change, and then they get work."

She explained that she worked as a machinist at different factories for 36 years, but started sewing when she was just young. 

After Maria's mom died when she was just six years old, she moved in with her aunt in Athlone who taught her how to sew.

Now she is passing on her wealth of knowledge to give others a chance in life. 

Maria explained that she relied on sales from the clothes made from her students to generate their equipment and tools: “The materials are donations from people, while the machines I get from a mechanic who fixes them and then I buy them from him.

“I pay for it with the stuff the students make. All the profits go towards the machines to pay it off.

“I have six machines and teach the basics of how to thread, put in and take out your bobbin. Then they move to stretch stitch, make lines then they go onto doing seams also in a line.

“I have a morning and afternoon class during the week. People who are skilled enough, I put them in the afternoon class. And when they are ready to get work, I let them wait for the rest of the class to get to that level.

“When they are finished they are so proud of themselves, because now they can make their own dress or pants."

Brander hopes to acquire signage for her academy and is appealing to anyone who is able to assist with donations or equipment to contact her on 084 899 9417.

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