12/06/2026
One thing I will always thank my late father for is that he never stopped encouraging me to learn sewing.
At that time, I did not understand why he kept insisting.
I had graduated from the university and like many young people, I believed my certificate was enough.
I thought a job would come quickly.
But it didn’t.
For over two years, I searched for a job without success.
During that period, my father kept saying:
“Go and learn sewing from your mother.”
Honestly, I was not interested.
But today, I am grateful that he did not give up on me.
Because years later, when life happened, when challenges came, when things became difficult, sewing became the skill that stood by me.
Sewing helped me support my family
Sewing gave me confidence.
Sewing opened doors I never imagined.
Sewing changed my life.
That is why I am passionate about helping teenagers learn this skill early.
As parents, we buy clothes, shoes, phones, and many other things for our children.
But one of the greatest gifts we can give them is a skill.
A skill gives them confidence.
A skill gives them something valuable they can carry anywhere in the world.
A skill gives them options.
Your daughter may become a doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer, or anything she dreams of becoming.
But imagine how powerful it would be if she also had a skill she could use with her own hands.
That is exactly why I created the BSS Holiday Sewing Bootcamp for Teenagers.
I want young girls to discover what is possible when they learn a skill early.
Because sometimes one skill can change the entire direction of a person’s life.
I know because it changed mine.
Esther okpara
