Bindumaya is a widow with six family members that depend on her for support. After her husband’s death, she needed to establish an income, so she decided to get involved with polyhouse farming (home-made greenhouses with walls made from thick plastic sheets) BUT… in her words, “This plan failed.”
She didn’t have much knowledge about farming, and her plants became infected with diseases. Despite her best efforts and hard work, she started to lose hope of ever earning an income from her polyhouse farming.
As Bindumaya was experiencing this loss, Mentors International came to her village with business training to help people like her acquire new and relevant skills. She quickly registered for these training classes.
In her words, “With their technical skills and skills transfer approach, I was able to save the tomato saplings and earn a significant sum. Not only that, but people like me are now able to take our produce to the market and sell it at a higher price. In fact, Mentors International staff have taught me the invaluable skill of establishing contact with the market to sell my vegetables. Besides, I have learned ways to tackle problems as they arise in my profession.”
Bindumaya has since learned how to take care of her crops better. She now grows, harvests, and then dries chilies because they fetch a higher price at the market, increasing her income. Today Bindumaya has expanded and she sells goats in addition to her small farming enterprise. She has a small jar where she is saving for the future. (Pictured to below)
At 56 years old Bindumaya is grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills. In her words, “Happiness has returned to my life.”
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