Valerie Kae Ken and Ivo Mlakić – I’ve already written twice about their work with the teachers in Kivumu, so I’m not going to bother you with that again – also worked on improving the school uniforms (overalls, trousers, skirts, blouses and shirts). The redesigned school uniforms will also from now on be adorned with a new Padri Vjeko VTC logo, which is primarily the product of Valerie’s creativity.

The uniform improvements included waistline and closure modifications; the blouses and shirts were made more “cheerful” by making the collars and pockets using green fabric, the colour which is the trademark of our school; and the trousers and skirt design was also improved – all that was done to make the uniforms more comfortable and a better fit for our students. The elastic makes the uniforms and skirts stretchable in the waistline, so as the students grow – and they will grow, you can be sure about that, because we’re mostly talking about teenagers who are just starting to grow – the uniforms will “grow” with them!

A new and different fabric was used to make the new uniforms, which has a higher percentage of natural materials and less synthetic. “The material feels good when you touch it,” the students and teachers told me. Under the old uniforms, it was pretty hot. With the new fabric and a new design the students are much more comfortable in their uniforms, so they can now concentrate better on their reason for being here in the first place – studying!

The students even wear their school uniforms outside the school. “When people see us wearing the VTC uniform, they respect us,” some rather shy tailoring students tell me. In admiring the new school uniform, people, in fact, are recognizing the quality of education these young girls and boys receive at our school. That’s why our students wear them with pride!

Translated by Branimir Mlakić
Edited by Valerie Kae Ken

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