Djune’s Path from Training to Entrepreneurship
The first time Djune Doumstop Oriane sat in front of a sewing machine, she didn’t own one. In fact, she owned nothing in this domain, not the scissors, not the threads, nor the fabric she worked on, but she had her hands, her determination, and a chance to learn. That was enough.
She had always been drawn to tailoring, learning informally with a friend at Old Town, Bamenda, but it was never something she could fully pursue until that same friend told her about the Bamendakwe Vocational Training Skills Center, run by Youth Outreach Programme (YOP). The training was free, and they provided materials. It sounded almost too good to be true.
“I didn’t think twice,” she says. “I joined immediately.” Said Oraine
The training gave her more than just a skill, it gave her possibility. Every stitch she sewed, every pattern she cut, felt like progress towards something she imagined. The tools were provided, the guidance was constant, and on some days, there was even food.
“I didn’t have to bring anything,” she recalls. “Everything was given to us.” The only difficulty sometimes was transportation, but she found ways around it. This was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to lose.
When graduation came in June 2021, she walked away with more than just knowledge. YOP sent her off with a nationally recognized vocational training certificate, a sewing machine, fabrics, needles, scissors, an iron and everything she needed to begin. That was when the real struggle started.
“People didn’t trust me at first,” she says. “I was fresh out of training, and customers weren’t sure if I was good enough.”
She sewed anyway. For her family, for practice, for free. Anything to keep her hands moving. Two years passed this way, working from home, saving little by little, then she found a shop she wanted, a small space she could call her own, but the rent was beyond her reach. There was no one to split the cost with. Oraine waited, stitched more clothes, saved more money, and waited some more. Then, finally, in September 2024, she turned the key to her own shop.
“I had been at home for so long, just waiting for this moment,” she says. “Now, I’m here. I’m working. I’m building something.”
But Djune’s vision is bigger than just a shop. She dreams of upgrading to an industrial sewing machine, a zigzag machine, just better equipment to improve her work. For now, without this upgraded equipment’s, she has to leave her shop and go elsewhere for certain finishing touches, but she’s patient. She knows how to wait for things to come together.
With Oraine being able to have a few of her own trainees now, she sends out a word to other girl’s young women sitting at home, unsure of what’s next.
“Even if you have other plans in life, learn a skill. It will always help you. Vocational training centers like YOP’s are real. They give you everything you need to get started. You just have to take the step.” She says
Now, Djune spends her days sewing in a space that is truly hers. The same hands that once had nothing now hold the tools of her own success, all thanks to Youth Outreach Programme Cameroon.
By - Admin
By - Admin
By - Admin
