Member 1

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03f8e8e3.jpg"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="04696ac0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="172" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Society for Underprivileged Families"><U>Home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Member 1"><U>Training Report July 2006</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mission"><U>The Society for Underprivileged Families in Bangladesh</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Production Unit at SUF"><U>The Production Unit at SUF</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How can I help?"><U>How can I help?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Bright Girls and Boys Project"><U>Bright Girls and Boys Project</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Children helped by Sponsors"><U>Children helped by sponsors</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact us</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://infinitycottage.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://infinitycottage.com"><U>Infinity Cottage Website</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FF9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04500c82dwnjbj.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Society for Underprivileged Families</B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#3366FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>   |     <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Society for Underprivileged Families"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Training  in Quality Production and Tailoring by Jill Atherstone</div> <bR> <div> <B>In July 2006 I went to Bangladesh</B> to upgrade the garment production at the Society for Underprivileged Families, and to train the staff there in quality production and tailoring. This became necessary because I had received orders for about 400 shirts, and some of these were new styles that I felt needed further training. The orders were for wholesale, and the high quality needed was very important to maintain the sales. It had been nearly two years since I had been in Dhaka, and a revision was essential.</div> <bR> <div> I flew to Dhaka with the help of generous donations from people who had been involved with SUF either as customers or as sponsors for the Bright Girls and Boys Project. Dhaka was as hot and overcrowded as ever, but I was warmly welcomed by Mr Zamal, Tipu , Salma and the staff at SUF. They generously gave me accommodation and board for the 4 weeks that I spent in Moghbazar, and looked after me so well.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0b382170.jpg" border=0 width="386" height="279" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0">Training started on 22<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >nd</FONT> July 2006 with speeches and welcomes to the 12 participants. From SUF there was Salma, Shelli and Nasnin who have worked in production since I helped to set it up in 2003, and who helped me as instructors during the Training, as well as learning a lot of new techniques and ideas themselves. Dinah returned to the production after a few years to do the training and we had 3 new young students, Shofic, Mahamuda and Mojina, who worked very well throughout my time there and will hopefully become an excellent addition to the production unit.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> The remaining students came from other NGO's who are also supported by Save the Children Sweden/Denmark. Many of these had little or no experience with shirtmaking, and worked very hard throughout the course and got very good results.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0a68f030.jpg" border=0 width="399" height="259" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0">The first day was spent on shirt basics, collars, cuffs, sleeve plackets, yokes  etc, and after some work on patterns and their use, and the different elements of shirt making, we cut out samples in calico and the students were taught to make up each item. Some of the designs were new to all the class, such as the plackets, so once the tailoring instructors had practiced these, they taught the other students. The SUF students worked on the production electric machines and the others worked upstairs in the vocational tailoring classroom, on the treadle machines.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Lunch and morning and afternoon tea on training days were provided by SUF, and were delicious every day. After lunch we worked through till 5pm, and the end of the first day we were all tired but had achieved a lot. The second day was more of the same techniques for shirtmaking, but the art of perfection was the main message. And Salma and Shelli were very  strict about every mistake, with only perfect being good enough! There were some difficult moments as the students wrestled with collars and ratcatchers, but they did very well overall.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0b23ec90.jpg" border=0 width="318" height="201" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0">Two practice days followed, and the students spent this time perfecting the work they had learned.  This time was great for me to start the market trips to get fabrics for the production that I needed to fill the orders. During the time that I was there we purchased about 100 yards of silk and nearly 400 yards of cotton fabrics, to make into shirts for the orders that I had. Dinah, Salma and Tipu accompanied me on these trips and did a wonderful job finding and bargaining for the best fabrics at the lowest prices in the amazing markets in Shad ar Ghat, Gaucia, Elephant Road and other fascinating places! I also bought lovely wool fabrics and silk linings and took them to a tailor to make up samples for riding jackets that I hope to start marketing in Australia too.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0a8c0b10.jpg" border=0 width="448" height="177" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The third training day was cancelled as I got sick, with a head cold and a cough, and was covered in heat rash!  So I rested, and felt a bit better the next day. Tipu and I went shopping to Motijeel, and bought a rotary cutting machine from Mr Wahid, who had supplied the electric industrial sewing machines to SUF in 2004. We also bought a stud fixing machine and pearl studs for the new country style shirts order. It was very hot and tiring in the heavy trafficand we got back late.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> The weekend was welcome, and I spent time with Jenny Woodburn, the new Australian Youth Ambassador at SUF. We went to the club at the Australian High Commission, and I met many other volunteers, who are doing wonderful work in Dhaka. On Friday we went to the beauty parlour  and in the evening I returned to Moghbazar for a fascinating evening of cooking lessons from Dinah and Shaheen, and learnt to make fuska and chokputi, and shared in the delicious results!</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0aa93230.jpg" border=0 width="403" height="291" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Saturday's training was on Specification sheets, and in spite of my misgivings, it went very well. The students seemed to understand and read the spec sheets with great accuracy, and I feel confident that I can now communicate the orders from Australia to SUF without problems. This was followed by cutting and layout for mass production, and we started by laying out 7 layers of calico, and cutting calico bags with the new rotary cutter. It went very well and the students stitched up the bags for sewing practice. The bags were an order for my business, and Nasnin screen printed my logo and the SUF logo on the bags.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> On Sunday while the students sewed bags, we did a lay up of blue/white stripe and pink /silver stripe fabrics and cut sizes 8,10 and 12 shirts for an order. 27 shirts were quickly and efficiently cut out with the rotary cutter with skills rapidly improving as the Salma, Shelli, Nasnin and Dinah practiced on the machine.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0ac65fb0.jpg" border=0 width="357" height="251" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0">Training day 5 was another cutting layup. This time we cut simple ladies' shirts in blue chambray, which was a good learning exercise for all, as the fabric was difficult to lay accurately and several attempts were made before we could start cutting. But all the students had a try at the rotary cutter, and then they each were given a shirt to make up, to complete their knowledge of shirt construction. These shirts were marked and the students given a tick for competency if the shirt was well made. Only one student failed this test because she was away sick.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> The last day of training was on costing, quality control and packaging. It was very successful with much discussion and participation by all the students. The quality production concept was emphasized, and I gave them some new ideas for checking each shirt for quality and size. I spoke about working as a team, with each member of the team taking responsibility for their work, with no blame to be placed on individuals in the team, but rather on the production system. The system must be efficient and constantly revised and improved to make sure that quality is maintained.<IMG SRC="0b491100.jpg" border=0 width="401" height="272" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> After another delicious lunch, the course ended with certificate presentation, speeches and photographs. The students were very pleased with the certificates that Jenny and Tipu had made up, and that were signed by the director of Save the Children Sweden/ Denmark and Mr Zamal Uddin and me.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> The last few days in Dhaka were very busy, with last minute shopping, pattern making, instructions about machine embroidery logos and urgency of new orders, and then some sad farewells to very special friends and associates and back to Melbourne and the cold winter weather and the relative luxury of our life in Australia.<IMG SRC="0b1991d0.jpg" border=0 width="409" height="285" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> I feel that the training was a great success and that this year will see a big increase in production of shirts by SUF. Already I have people waiting for shirts that are being made at SUF as fast as they can work. And the samples that I brought back with me sold instantly because they are so good. I believe we will have a very successful year ahead for Infinity Cottage and SUF. And that means more support for child rights in Bangladesh!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> So thank you to all the supporters of this project, for your generous donations and on going support for the Society for Underprivileged Families and their dedication to improving the rights of the child in Bangladesh. </div> <bR> <div> I </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>