Justine’s Silver Lining
Justine met her current husband at church. Together, they had a small kiosk where he rented out movies and this is what they depended on for income…Until she heard of BeadforLife Street business school.
She joined SBS and quickly became restless after experiencing the third training “Finding Capital and Starting Small.” She quickly went and learned how to make Mandazi (doughnuts), hoping to do this as a business! After undergoing the rest of the training sessions, she discovered the business of making Mandazi was not well-thought-out and went back to the drawing board. She then identified a need in her community of food and got the idea of selling silver fish. This worked to her advantage since she already knew someone who could get the fish for her straight from the landing site.
Justine has done this business for over 2 months now and is doing well. The Business Plan and Money Management sessions were essential to get her to where she is today. Her business is growing slowly and steadily. She currently makes close to UGX 300,000 (almost $85) per month from silver fish. She supplies retailers in her community who have vegetable stands and sells leftovers at the front of her home. She is already investing in a vegetable stand so she can have a variety of products and attract new customers. Justine is saving to grow her business and it is working!
She feels confidence and strength that seven years earlier she could not imagine.
She grew up in a family with 36 other children, so school fees weren’t possible, despite the fact that she worked hard on the family farm to earn enough to go to school. Her father constantly taunted her to give up her education telling her that she would get married to one of the poorest men in the village. This only fueled her fire to work hard to get an education. Much to the annoyance of many around her, she passed her school exams with top scores. Unfortunately, she spent all of her income on school and became indebted. Eventually, she was forced to drop out.
Justine got sympathy from one of the boys in her village who promised to pay her school fees. This annoyed her father so much that he chased her out of the home. Justine became suicidal and was saved by her boyfriend. Unfortunately, the same man who got her pregnant caused her school dreams to dissolve. Her nightmare grew when she learned her boyfriend had a wife and children. She ended the relationship, took her child, and found work at a church canteen! This is the same very church where she met her husband.
What felt like a nightmare has transformed into a dream as Justine is now able to use her intelligence, skills and strength to improve her life. Her dream is to build a residential house as well as rentals. She is confident that she can achieve it if she continues to work hard.
