Скачать или смотреть Sewing Hope: Kenya's Blind Tailor Charles Mwangi Defies Odds

Meet Kenya's 'Blind Tailor', Charles Kibe Mwangi, who has amazed his customers and community with his exceptional tailoring skills for years despite being blind.

After losing his sight, Mwangi, 48, has used a broomstick as a powerful symbol of his resilience, helping him navigate through his beloved craft in Nairobi.

The familiar hum-and-click of a sewing machine invites you into a small tailoring shop within a cluster of buildings standing cheek by jowl in Umoja 2 Estate, east of Nairobi's central business district.

There, Charles Kibe Mwangi's fingers move with practised precision across a swathe of fabric. His hands are guided not by sight but by 34 years of muscle memory and an unconventional tool – a simple broomstick tucked behind his left ear.

"I don't see myself ever going to the streets to beg," he says. "I believe in my craft; it's what feeds me and my family. I will keep working, and if anyone feels moved to help, they can do so through the work I do here," Mwangi tells TRT Afrika.

"I have done this work for 34 years now; this is the only thing I know how to do best," he says.

His walking stick rests nearby, a constant companion that guides him through a world that gradually slipped into darkness for him just over a decade ago.

Here's more on Mwangi's inspiring story.

00:00 – 00:08 Intro: Meet Charles Kibe Mwangi in Umoja 2 Estate
00:08 – 00:25 Charles talks about 34 years as a tailor
00:25 – 00:45 Losing sight & walking stick as guide
00:45 – 01:10 How broomstick sparked return to tailoring
01:10 – 01:35 Adapting tools: tape measure with braille-like marks
01:35 – 02:00 Customers helping with fabric colors
02:00 – 02:30 Longtime client Margaret Gathecha’s testimony
02:30 – 02:55 Losing some clients but staying determined
02:55 – 03:25 Glaucoma diagnosis and vision loss journey
03:25 – 03:55 Perfect measurements and tailoring expertise
03:55 – 04:20 Hope to regain sight and see his children
04:20 – 04:36 Charles’ resolve to keep working, no giving up


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