‘I was trained as a tailor, sewing is my passion’

Gora Mbaye is a tailor in heart and soul. He loves sewing dearly. He worked as a tailor in his native country Senegal. And after many years in the Netherlands and having wandered along many jobs,  he has now once again taken place behind a sewing machin. And he says this with a big, genuine smile on his face: “Sewing is my passion, I hope I will be able to work here until my pension.”

What do you like so much about working at Uniqare?

“I have never been treated with so much respect by an employer. The director personally comes to the shop floor regularly. He talks with us and likes to make a joke. He is really involved with our work and this way I feel that I am valuable. Furthermore, we work in a very nice team. The backgrounds of all colleagues are very different but we work very well together.”

And what do you like about your everyday work?

“When I first came here and saw the professional sewing machines, I immediately thought ‘yes’! I had never worked with such nice machines. The slings we make are very important to people. Both for the patients who depend on a hoist as well as for the employees in the health care sector. This makes me feel we are doing very important work.”

Where and how did you learn how to sew?

“I was a tailor in my native country Senegal. I learned to do this already when I was very young and I feel I am a tailor in my heart and soul. I make people happy by sewing clothes. I worked at a curtain workshop in Groningen for some time, but I could not stay there, unfortunately. I then worked – among others – peeling shrimp and at a bookbinder. Good work, but I am extremely happy I can take place behind a sewing machine again.”

And what do you do when you are not at work?

“I also sew a lot at home. I make clothes for myself and for people I know in Groningen. I think Groningen really is a fantastic city. It is relatively quiet and safe and very cozy. I have been in the Netherlands for 13 years now and I feel completely at home. Only the cold and the rain are things I believe I will never get used to.”