For Janet, growing a small business has meant much more than increasing her income. It has meant being better able to provide food, stability and opportunity for her three young children.
Janet lives in Kitambuza Zone, Kanyanya Parish, with her children, aged three, five and seven. When a community volunteer first met the family, they were struggling financially. Grace was working hard, but the approximately UGX 10,000 she could earn in a day also had to cover the cost of replacing her stock. The pressure on the family was showing. Her children were frequently missing school, and the household was managing around two meals a day.
Strengthening the parent strengthens the family
At Child’s i Foundation, we know that children are more likely to thrive when the people caring for them have the resources, knowledge and support they need.
Janet took part in nutrition training and Street Business School, helping her think differently about both feeding her family and growing her income.
She began by selling vegetables. With additional capital, she was able to increase her stock and improve the shelter from which she trades. Today, she sells a wider range of produce, including fruits, vegetables and matooke.
Janet noticed something important: having a wider range and greater quantity of stock attracted more customers. She then spotted another opportunity. Janet invested UGX 200,000 in women’s shoes. They sold so successfully that she was able to buy more using her profits. She estimates that her first investment generated UGX 100,000 in profit. Her new business skills have also helped her become a confident salesperson.
“The business skills I acquired didn’t leave me the same. I can convince someone that came to buy tomatoes to also look into buying a pair of shoes.”
Three meals a day
The changes have reached beyond Grace’s business.
Before the programme, her family generally ate two meals a day. They are now able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Nutrition training also challenged Janet’s belief that providing nutritious food necessarily requires a lot of money. Because she sells fresh produce herself, she has learned how to make better use of the food available to her to provide nutritious meals for her children.
Janet is now looking ahead. She wants to continue growing her business and begin saving regularly so that her family can become increasingly secure.
Her story demonstrates something central to Child’s i Foundation’s work: sometimes protecting a child begins by helping a parent build the stability they need to care for them.
When families have the right support at the right time, they can build their own path towards a stronger future.
