It\u2019s the rainy season and the new school year is about to begin. From dawn \u2019til dusk, Mambar Pierette sews school uniforms and exquisite dresses for special occasions in her tiny shop in a slum of Douala (Cameroon). Mambar is not just a seamstress, she is also a trusted confidante to her customers. She knows all about money and romantic troubles, family matters and the problems of emigrating and returning home. But she also has plenty of worries of her own: flooding in her home and shop, an absent husband, an ailing mother, three children who need school supplies, and there\u2019s never enough money. She has to overcome setbacks and disasters time and time again. She endures her situation with stoic calm, and refuses to put up with patriarchal oppression. Her hard-earned independence and the sense of community in her neighbourhood give her strength.<\/p>\n