…sews masks for free in COVID fight

AS the number of COVID-19 cases piled up at Santa Rosa, in the Moruca sub-region, several weeks ago, Otis Castello jumped at the opportunity to help his fellow villagers.
Using an old sewing machine with bicycle and generator parts substituting key functions of the equipment, Castello sewed masks for residents, for free, a feat which touched the hearts of many.

Castello, 51 , who suffers from a hearing impairment, is a skilled tailor. His skill, according to his wife, Lucy, is evident in the number of customers he has had over the past two years.

This is so despite the fact that his makeshift sewing machine prevents him from fully utilizing both hands since one has to spin a bicycle rim which turns the machine. The Castellos live at the village of Cabora, which is a satellite community to Santa Rosa.

All-purpose machine broke
According to Lucy, a little over two years ago, her husband’s all-purpose sewing machine broke down and became useless.
His current equipment is unique in many ways. There is no foot pedal, no stitch regulator, and the needle clamp and parts for the needle are triggered by a generator part which Castello installed on the machine.

“He had an all-purpose machine what could have sewn buttons and different stiches but that spoil,” Lucy said. She said that she searched and managed to find an old Singer machine. She said that was over two years ago.

She said that it was not a functioning machine but her husband managed to get it working and, using parts from the old machine, he installed same on the Singer machine. ”It ain’t got the pedal and the belt, so he used the bicycle wheel fork and the rim,” she said.

As Lucy described how her husband sews, she said he pulls a rubber which is attached to the bicycle wheel rim, to get the machine running, as she reiterated that it has been over two years since her husband has been mastering the improvised equipment.

She said that despite his machine not being one with multiple features, her husband receives orders from parents and teachers to make various pieces of clothing for the new school term as well as during the term.

“Sometimes he would make one or two long pants per day, sometimes one only because people would go to others who got faster machines,” she said.
Lucy said her husband would also sew various pieces of clothing for events and activities within the area.

COVID-19 response
When the COVID cases were being recorded at Santa Rosa and other areas within the sub-region early last month, Castello responded by sewing masks for residents. According to a villager, persons would provide the materials and he would sew the masks for free. ”Is not for charge, it is giving, it is for free,” Lucy said, as she pointed out the importance of the mask in fighting the Coronavirus.

She added that during this time persons would go to her husband and make orders to sew the masks in larger quantities and they would pay him for his time. ”He would sew now for anybody who want to bring in an order,” Lucy said.

According to Lucy, the couple brought forth nine children. ”Well, is nine between the two of us,” she said with a smile, noting that the both work hard to provide for their children. She does farming for a living and she would also sell brooms to earn an income.

She said that she and her husband hope to one day purchase a new all-purpose machine, noting that her husband skill was needed and is still in demand in the village, given the large number of COVID-19 cases recorded within Santa Rosa.

Cabora is a small village which falls under the Santa Rosa Village Council. It is located some 8 miles from the Kumaka waterfront, the business-hub of the Moruca sub-region.

During the last two weeks of May this year, the first COVID-19 case was recorded at Santa Rosa.
Soon after, Vincent Torres , a former school teacher in the area, died from complications attributed to the virus at the Kumaka District Hospital. Within a month-long period since his death, the number of positive cases increased rapidly to more than 60, as the authorities faced an uphill battle in sensitizing residents of the seriousness of the pandemic.

To date, more than 80 cases of the Coronavirus have been recorded within the Moruca sub-region, making it the epicenter of the disease there. On the brighter side of things, some 36 persons have since recovered from the disease.