November 9, 2015
Zambia
Three young people living on the territory of Zambia have shared their feelings about how the activities of Caritas Czech Republic, supporting the apprenticeship and entrepreneurship education in the areas of resettlement Mayukwayukwa and Meheba, has changed their lives. They all completed the apprenticeship course and based on the properly elected business plan were provided with a loan from Caritas Czech Republic to start their own businesses.
Patricia Kalumbi
At twenty-seven years old, Patricia, originally from Angola, is one of the graduates of a tailoring course taught at the vocational school in Solwezi in the north-western province of Zambia. Patricia raises three sons together with her husband. She was not able to finish high school because of the lack of money and therefore, she had experienced a hard financial situation before the course started. She applied for this course as soon as she heard about this possibility. She hoped for a new impulse in the tough life of her family.
After spending six months at the vocational school, Patricia’s class completed a month-long training, during which she learnt the basics necessary for operating a small business. After successful application, she received a loan from Caritas Czech Republic, allowing her to equip a small tailor shop at her house where she now sews skirts, school uniforms, shirts and jackets. How is she looking for customers? ‘’I put up some posters so that people know that I started to sew. Furthermore, when I sew skirts or school uniforms I go from house to house and I offer them in the neighbourhood. Although skirts and uniforms are sewn by other tailors in the neighbourhood, only I can produce fashionable skirts with a high waist,” said Patricia
Patricia finds that her life has improved since she started the business. Although she doesn’t earn much, she has some money to contribute to the family budget, which was unthinkable for her in the past. ‘’I would like to offer my merchandise in the town of Manyama and the nearby copper mines in the future.’’
Mukonda Malichi
Mukonda had a difficult past. His mum died when he was in the third grade. His grandparents could not pay for his education so instead, he was home-schooled by them until the sixth grade. Then, he re-entered the school but had to leave once again at the eighth grade due to the illness of his young brother. There was no money left for tuition because of the expensive treatment. After two years, Mukunda applied for the Caritas CR program and his life started to go in the right direction.
Mukonda was born in Meheba refugee camp in Zambia into a family of Angolan refugees and we introduced him earlier as a carpenter. At that time he studied at the vocational school in Solwezi and was only dreaming about his future. He learnt how to process the wood, how to do business and how to make a business plan within the scope of the course. Caritas CR found his plan interesting and so he and other students were provided with a loan to start a small business. Mukonda bought the necessary equipment and materials which enabled him to start working in the workshop of his relative in the main market in Meheba where wooden tables, chairs, shelves and beds are custom-made. Mukonda also actively seeks his customers among those who need furniture as they move and build houses under the local integration program to new areas in Meheba. As he learnt how to paint wood at school, his products look more attractive than others’.
Mukonda says that his financial situation has improved significantly compared to the period before he trained to be a carpenter. ‘’In the past, I relied on money that I gained for occasional work in gardens and fields nearby. Now, I am my own master and I generally earn more money,’’ he says. He is now helping out his grandparents and buys food and daily-needed items for the household. Despite his achievement, he does not want to stagnate. In the future, he wants to save enough money to go back to school and learn how to work with metal. It would enable him to expand the range of additional products and to differentiate himself from other carpenters in the area.
Shillan Kalala
Shillan started business at the age of 23 in a refugee camp in Meheba thanks to the course provided by Caritas CR. She lives in this camp with her family and runs a small tailor shop where she provides custom-tailored skirts and other clothes according to customers’ wishes and needs.
Shillan completed her apprenticeship in the nearby town of Solwezi. Due to the fact that the program to support former refugees includes the Zambian host, she was given the opportunity to participate. While her classmates began in September 2014, she joined the classes in January 2015 when there was one place available. Though she had to catch up with the others, she and other students finally completed the course in April. Shillan was even one of the students with the best results. Two months later, she obtained a loan from Caritas CR to open a small tailor shop at her house. At the beginning, she put up posters on the road near her home to let people know that she began to sew. She walks around the houses in her neighbourhood offering people her products, as is the custom in Meheba. Shillan says that her financial situation is now much better than before when she had no income and was fully dependent on her family
She also revealed her future plans. ‘’I would like to buy two or three sewing machines so that I could open a store in Meheba and have employees.’’ She also thinks it would be advantageous to team up with other tailors in the area. They could work together on bigger contracts. As she acknowledges, competition among tailors in Meheba is really high.
Activities of Caritas CR under the program to support local integration of former Angolan refugees is financially supported by the UN Refugee Agency and the Czech Development Agency.
