OFFICIAL OPENING OF ENDEAVOUR GROUP LTD FACTORY

Although the Endeavour Group Ltd clothing production factory has been in operation since 2009, it celebrated its official opening on 31st August. The husband was proud to host the event where the Regional Commission for Kagera region, Col (ret) Fabian Massawe performed the honours.

Guests were treated to a fashion parade of current products and a tour of the factory where staff provided a demonstration of the production process which focuses on speed and efficiency, as well as highlighting the various machines used in the manufacturing process.

Endeavour Group Ltd prides itself on the superior quality of its garments at affordable prices for local and overseas consumers.  Garments manufactured include menswear, children's wear, as well as school, military, public and private sector uniforms

The event was well attended and guests were impressed with the quality and range of garments produced at the factory.

Well done team Endeavour!

THE NEW LUNCH HUT

The husband has been busy rebuilding the staff lunch hut at Endeavour Group Limited, Bukoba. He is a clever one and it does look ever so cute. This is it finished, but not painted.

Painted and waiting for a loose stones surround.

How green is that lawn? The lawn is the husband's pride and joy. Every weekend he cuts it himself using a manual push reel mower. Given the size of the factory grounds, this is no mean feat. However he does it for several reasons. Firstly, push reel mowers are better for lawns as they do not rip out / tear the grass, so your lawn is healthier. Consequently the lawn looks much nicer as demonstrated in the photographs. Also there is none of that unnecessary noise pollution often associated with lawn mowing, nor is there the cost of purchasing fuel for the mower. They are also easier to fix. In addition he gets some valuable exercise through the activity.

So this is the finished product. Well done Sweetheart.

I wish I had taken a photograph of the staff enjoying their lunch in the hut. Next time.

Disappointed at the lack of employment prospects for young people and women in Bukoba,  we wanted to establish a business that effectively improved lives through employment, not charity. Not only does permanent employment provide a sense of purpose in life, it also enables a sense of pride, in that people can support their families, educate their children and plan for the future.

Coming from a teaching background combined with a love of sewing, we decided to embark on a garment production business. Initially we started with one particularly talented tailor and two unskilled machinists. Since then our team has grown to fifteen fabulous tailors and  trainees, a gardener and a cook.  Ongoing vocational training and skills development are important in raising individual self esteem and has proven to be very successful not just on an individual level, but for the project overall.  

The mainstay of the business has been manufacturing our Nguo Bora label school uniforms which are of the highest quality and, more importantly, are affordably priced for the local community. Too often Tanzanians are confronted with substandard garments that are cobbled together by self taught / poorly trained individuals employed on a casual basis and paid by the number of garments produced. Consequently, and understandably quality becomes secondary to quantity considerations. 

Fortunately, this is not the case with our team members. All members are paid above the minimum wage and enjoy entitlements such as sick leave, holiday pay and a monthly employer contribution to the national superannuation fund. Working conditions are clean and safe. Each employee receives a cooked meal at lunchtime and are able to take home produce from the factory vegetable plot for their family meal.
  

In addition, EGL has diversified into sewing workwear, hence the introduction of our lesser known Kifaru label.  

You have probably already established from the label that Kifaru is Swahili for rhinoceros. We feel that the rhino logo says it all, and reflects the sturdiness of our workwear. 

However Mamakemi is a glamorous lady and feels that a little beauty goes a long way. So now that we have filled all our World Vision orders, EGL is, at last, embarking on producing the Kemilembe label Spring / Summer collection in earnest. 

Look out world, here comes Kemilembe.