Change a Girl's Life Through Microentrepreneurship

Margaret's story is one of resilience. She fled from the conflict in Bafut a village in the NorthWest region of Cameroon to Muyuka in Mautu a village in Cameroon's  southwest region and started a small business selling  Groundnut paste. However, despite her best efforts, the business soon hit a dead end due to insufficient capital.

Fortunately, Margaret's fortunes changed when ReachOut's social workers identified her during a door-to-door identification process. They recognized her potential and provided her with training in entrepreneurship, business management, savings, and the use of technology in business. Moreover, she was supported her with a capital injection of ($95) 57,200 CFA to kick-start her "Groundnut paste" business all over again.

With this fresh start, Margaret proved to be outstanding in time management and diversification of the market. She woke up early every day to go to the market and sell her wares, which allowed her to face very little competition. After receiving a second round of training and an additional capital injection of ($190) 114,400 CFA, which she used to expand her business. Now, she produces her goods in great quantity and sells them in four different markets, a significant improvement from her previous situation.

Through her business profits and her newfound knowledge of investment and plowing back into her business, Margaret was able to rent farmland to cultivate food for home consumption, which she also used to augment her business. Today, her hard work and perseverance have paid off, and she has successfully improved her business capital to ($350) 210,000 CFA. Margaret's story is a testament to the power of  training and financial support in transforming lives and communities.

 "I express my deep gratitude towards ReachOut and its partners  for giving me another chance to rise above my difficulties and i am thankful for the startup capital giving to me which has helped me get back on track". said margerate

Glory, a widow with five children, had a successful salon business in Barombi-Kang before the Anglophone crisis began in 2016. Despite the violence in the area, she was making a profit of at least ($49) 30,000frs per month. However, the frequent shootings and killings caused her to flee to Kumba in Meme division, south west region of Cameroon. where the situation was still not safe and decided to move to Muea  a community in  Fako division in the southwest West Region of Cameroon. Before moving to Muea,she sold everything in her salon at a low price to settle her debts.

Once she arrived in Muea, she relied on food and gifts from relatives. To survive, she did various odd jobs, including manual labor. With the little money she saved, she built a small shed for her new salon business, but she did not have enough money to equip it properly. She could only use the materials that people gave her, which resulted in low profits as she didn't have the necessary equipment. After five months, her salon caught fire, leaving her with nothing to start over with. Despite this setback, she continued her salon in her one-room space.

During the door-to-door identification process by the Reach Out social worker, Glory was selected for the project. She received training on Sexually Reproductive Health Rights, Entrepreneurship, Bookkeeping, and Savings. With the first-level grant of ($94) 57200 FRS, she bought attachments and other equipment for her salon. The Reach Out social worker encouraged her not to give up on her business and to keep saving during regular monthly business coaching sessions. After receiving her second-level grant of ($188) 114400, since she was working from home and didn't have sufficient space, she utilized  part of the second grant to rent a store and used part to buy more attachments and equipment for her salon. this made her gain more customers and made lot of profit.

 She earns  an average monthly income of ($411) 250,000 FRS and makes a profit of ($94) 57,000 FRS monthly.

“I received support and encouragement that enabled my salon business to thrive, resulting in a growing customer base. As a result, I am now capable of taking care of my children without relying on others for assistance. Additionally, I was able to purchase a TV set, a blender, and other necessary household equipment. I am immensely grateful to Reach Out and its partners for bringing a smile to my face and improving my life.” Said Glory .