BETHER NDORO (32) is reaping positive results from her life skills training. Before training, she tried to start small income-generating activities several times due to a lack of knowledge. In 2022, Bether attended a Passport to Success (PTS) training arranged by Takunda RFSA with other young people from her village in Ward 19, Mutare district, Zimbabwe. An orphan raised by her grandmother and 16 orphaned cousins, Bether struggled to raise enough money to complete her Form 2.

At a loss of options, she decided to get married and start a family, “I have four girls aged 14, 10, and the twins are 9.” Not wanting her circumstance to befall her daughters, Bether attended her village’s community visioning process and ensured that she would not let an opportunity pass her by again. After the training, encouraged by Takunda, Bether and young women from her group started their own village savings and lending association (VSLA) to raise funds to start small businesses. “We all agreed that we did not want to wait on our respective husbands to give us money for our households,” shared an inspired, Bether, “and the nine of us formed a ‘Kuguta Kushanda’ village savings and lending association (VSLA).” The name of the VSLA, ‘Kuguta Kushanda,’ is a Shona term loosely translated to English to mean ‘hard work leads to satisfaction.’ to which each member contributed US$5. Subsequently, the VSLA provided the contributions, on a rotational basis, to a group member as seed money to start their business. It was finally Bether’s turn to receive her share out in November 2022. After months of thought and planning, she partnered with PERPETUA KUBVENYIKA (35). Like Bether, Perpetua was orphaned at an early age to start a poultry business and received US$50 each as seed funding from their VSLA. Learning from past challenges, the two invested US$22 to buy 25 broiler chicks, priced at just under US$0.90 each. Having investigated the needs of their business, they purchased two 50kg bags of broiler chicken feed for US$64, added a stress pack bought for US$2, and an additional US$9 got them a poultry feeder and drinker. After six weeks, they sold each broiler chicken at US$7, translating to a profit of 80.41 percent. A success that bolstered their confidence in running a business.

Bether’s broiler chicks from batch four (left) and batch five (right).
© Shamiso Matava/ TAKUNDA RFSA

During the interview, Bether shared, “The Passport to Success training made me aware of the importance of empowering each other as young women. Entrepreneurship topics like ‘Creative thinking for entrepreneurs’ also showed me the importance of having our small business enterprise to support our family. I can now stand in public and speak without fear, and I am an empowered woman as I now have my source of income. I am grateful, and I hope the project will keep enlightening and empowering other young people like me in our community.”   Now, Bether and Perpetua are rearing their fourth and fifth batch of chickens, concurrently, and have plans to increase the number of broiler chicks per batch. Motivated by the business’s continued success, Bether joined another village savings and lending association with eight other women, where contributions are pegged at US$60 per month. Bether hopes to diversify her business through this new membership, including buying clothes, shoes, and blankets for resale. She expects to receive US$240 from the current village savings and lending association this September 2023 and will use the funds to start the clothing business. She added, “The ‘Passport to Success’ training also gave me access to a short-skills baking course facilitated by Takunda. I look forward to starting a baking business when we complete the baking lessons,” as these will increase her income streams.