A Sudden Fortune From The Epic Project
Come across a success story of Veronica Maziku from Bugomba A-Ulewe Ward of Ushetu District Council, Shinyanga Tanzania. Veronica is a Young Woman aged 19 years. She is a beneficiary of the DREAMS Program under the EpiC Project, she is a member of Malkia wa Nguvu WORTH360 Group since 9th November 2021.
Veronica tells her story by beginning with the challenges faced before being enrolled in the project and the steps of success reached by being part of DREAMS beneficiaries under the EpiC project. Just read the narration from Veronica Maziku as she confesses about EpiC project benefits.
Veronica in her own tailoring business at Bugomba A village center
The interesting news is the fact that despite being struggling for getting capital to learn and start running tailoring activity, I had no mentor who could help me to think beyond tailoring activity and to think on fund sources. I kept staying home the whole time conducting domestic activities, but later I asked myself in a sense that for how long I will be staying home without any activity which can help me to get money for buying my own stuffs.
Two weeks later I got a sudden fortune from EpiC project whereby a young woman visited me at home, she introduced herself to me that her name is Anna Mabuga she came from HUHESO Foundation as an empowerment worker under EpiC project, so her intention was to engage me in the program. She made an introduction about EpiC project and HUHESO Foundation, the introduction of both HUHESO Foundation and EpiC project was very interesting me, I started spiritually thanking God for exposing me to such opportunities. On 9th November 2021, I decided to join in WORTH360 group to learn more about financial issues and other techniques of starting business.
DREAMS PO taking some narrations from Veronica Maziku for documenting her success story
A journey to join WORTH group
Before being enrolled in Malkia Wa Nguvu WORTH360 group, my mentor passed me through some questions which were read from her paper the questions asked were very simple and sometimes were very funny as some of them were based on sexual affairs but all of them I managed to answer. So later my mentor promised me to meet at a certain place where I’ll be meeting with her and other fellows from our village.
For the first day I shocked to meet with number of girls who were almost at the same age but with different historical background as some were already in marriage, some got children out of marriage so it was an epic moment for sure.
Our mentor talked to us about what the EpiC project intends to us where she generally promised us to be taught Social Behavioral Changes and economic strengthening we all agreed with her to form a group which later named as Malkia wa Nguvu WORTH360 group. Later on I became a beneficiary of DREAMS Program under EpiC project. In the group we were taught various topics; Loans and savings inclusive”.
A sudden luck of my dream
Two months Later our mentor Anna Mabuga told me that if I want to learn tailoring now the opportunity has arrived at our village because HUHESO foundation through EpiC project has established Economic Strengthening Hub at our village, there we will be learning tailoring, making batik, decoration, knitting and other handworks which later will help us to establish our own income generating activities. I thanked my mentor for that good news and I promised her that I’ll learn effectively for my future business. Since everything were set ready to start attending for learning, in few days I started attending there at the economic Strengthening hub where I met with other mentors who were trainers. I opt to learn tailoring because is what I was always thinking to learn. After one week I thought to let my parent know what I was learning about, my daddy congratulated me for such kind of decision also he thanked HUHESO Foundation for bringing such service center at our village he lastly said he will support me later to open up my garment office when I will succeed to pass well my trainings
DREAMS PO talking with Anna Mabuga at the left hand side (EW) and Veronica Maziku at right hand side (AGYW) about how to improve more her tailoring business
After 3 months, from January to March 2022 of training I saw myself a very competent to start running my own business of tailoring although the problem was still there because I had no any machine as a startup kit but after telling my daddy it was somehow easy to support me. While I was attending to the ESH also I managed to keep attending to my WORTH360 group for running savings and loan and other sessions which were taught by Peer educators and Empowerment workers.
Establishment of my own business office
Veronica continue to explain about the expense of business as a startup cost. She tried to list down some import items which such as room, tailoring machines, threads, tape measures, javas, lining, tables, cloth iron, shelves, electric power, lubricant and needles. She says;
All these items above cost Tsh.369000/=, my daddy supported me with amount of Tsh.219000/= and the rest amount which is Tsh. 150,000/= I applied a loan from our WORTH360 group. But other items like blooms, buckets I brought from home. I started running my office in un expected way because I didn’t know if one day I could afford to open my office. Apart from all these, also I hosted 2 girls as my trainees on tailoring skill, they normally pay me Tsh. 20,000/= per month as a training fees, so I decided to add 2 tailoring machines by hiring from other people.
DREAMS PO, SEEO, and CEO listened very carefully to Veronica about the historical background of her business
A journey towards my dream
“My dream was to be a popular good designer, to time I am in a good motion as I have already started the work of tailoring, I thank God for that and I still hope for more advancement from this work. As apart from reaching my dreams, I have a plan of buying more tailoring machines so that I may not use the money for hiring them as I do nowadays.”
Veronica’s Advice to AGYW.
“Because I have passed through different hustles, I would like to advise AGYW that if it happens again that enrolment comes let them join and thereafter they shall regret instead excel”.
For AGYW who are already in the WORTH360 groups, I advise them to think about joining tailoring hubs and accessing other services, and investing the money they borrow from the WORTH360 group as I did.
Finally, I advise the AGYW who are not in WORTH Groups to join the groups found in their localities and start saving and borrowing for their economic advancement”.
Lastly, I would like to thank my mentor Anna Mabuga from the HUHESO foundation who came and revealed to me where I was struggling on my own, but also the Foundation for Human Health and Social Development (HUHESO Foundation) who brought this project to our Ward.
This is how Veronica Maziku benefited from the DREAMS program under the EpiC project since she joined in WORTH360 group.
