The Dreams Program Paved A Way To My Future
Eunice Johnhela is a DREAMS program beneficiary from Uyogo village at Uyogo Ward of Ushetu District Council, Shinyanga Tanzania. Eunice is a Young Woman aged 19 years. She is in the DREAMS program since 2022 June, she is a member of FURAHA WORTH360 Group since 9th June 2022.
Eunice is very interested with DREAMS program as she tells how the program changed her life in a positive manner. Just read the narration from Eunice Johnhela as she confesses about the program benefits.
Eunice who stands at the middle displays the baby dress made by herself during one of the sessions attended at Uyogo ESH
The interesting news is the fact that after completion of my primary school studies at Uyogo primary school in 2020, my parents’ ideas was to make me stay home until I get a man to marry me, my parent kept me busy with farming activities as a trick to attract men to come at home and negotiate with my farther about marring me. By that time there was no way to against my parents, of course my morphology was very slim so I looked like young girl all the time so men had to reasoning before they decide otherwise about me, but despite all those stuff from my parent my vision was to keep trusting in God that no man can come to me at this age aim so I must focus on own issues. I started 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 and farming 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 years 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 Neema Peter she came from HUHESO Foundation as AGYW mentor 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 to me. On 24th June 2022, I decided to join in WORTH360 group to learn more about what my mentor instructed me.
After joining WORTH360 group
Our mentor talked to us about what the sessions to be covered during our stay in the EpiC project, we were taught Social Behavioral Changes and economic strengthening. Later on I became aware of DREAMS Program under EpiC project. In the group we were taught various topics; Loans and savings inclusive”.
The linkage to ESH
Two months Later our mentor Neema Peter told me that if I want to learn tailoring now the opportunity available at our village because HUHESO foundation through EpiC project has established Economic Strengthening Hub at our village, 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 mentor who was the trainer called Maria Lucas Bluma. 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.
Eunice in her tailoring office that she has opened after completion of 3 months of tailoring course.
After 3 months, from June to September 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 several saving made to my group 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 Mentors.
Establishment of my own business office
All these items above cost Tsh.389000/=, my mom supported me with amount of Tsh.219000/= and the rest amount which is Tsh. 161,000/= I applied a loan from our WORTH360 group. I brought from home. I started running my unplanned office because I didn’t know if one day I could afford to open my office.
A journey towards my dream
“My dream now is to be a big and reliable clothes dealer at my ward here, to time I am in a good motion as I have already started the work of tailoring, as apart from reaching my dreams, I have a plan of buying farms so that I may run both farming production at tailoring for future maximizing my business capital.”
Eunice’s Advice to AGYW.
“Because I have passed through different difficulties, I would like to advise AGYW that if it happens again that enrolment comes let them join and thereafter they shall not regret instead excel”.
Lastly, I would like to thank my mentor Neema Peter 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 Eunice Johnhela narration on how she is now days compared to the previous time, she benefited from the DREAMS program under the EpiC project since she joined in WORTH360 group.
