Rose

Rose is a refugee from the Congo who has lived in Nairobi, with her three children, for two-and-a-half years. “Initially, my life was quite difficult. I would wake up in the morning, and I did not know where I would get a single cent for the day, or how to get food, or how I could ever send my children to school. It was very difficult for me. But, nowadays, I can say that life is not perfect, but it is not as difficult as before. My kids are now in school. Even if I don’t have the cash right now, I can go and talk to the teacher and tell him that within one week, I will be able to bring the school fees. All of that is because of the business.”

Rose has made remarkable progress in developing her business since completing a RefugePoint business training and receiving her initial grant of $200 USD in August 2016. In November 2016, just months after Rose set up her salon using the RefugePoint grant, the salon was robbed and Rose lost all of her equipment. However, Rose had saved $50 USD. This small amount of savings, along with her determination to succeed, allowed Rose to build a new salon from scratch. Since re-establishing the salon, Rose has learned a few things from her customers, and has adjusted her business approach accordingly. The salon business could not fully support Rose’s needs, so she recently decided to diversify and now also sells second-hand shoes.

“My hope for the future is to grow this business. I would like to have a bigger space where I can stock rings, earrings, chains, bangles, and hair pieces. I also need to buy some good mirrors for the walls and some good drawers to make my business more attractive. There are so many things that I need. But again, I need to restrict my budget, especially my household expenses.

Sometimes the kids will ask me for clothing, but I cannot buy it for them because I also need to invest a lot of money so that I can grow my business,” says Rose. Before receiving the RefugePoint business grant, Rose marketed her hair dressing services informally and made an average of $15 USD per week. Now, with the fixed location and a diversified range of products, she makes an average of $30 USD per week and can provide for her children and send them to school.

“I want to say a special thank you to RefugePoint. They have helped me with food, rent, and to start a business. There was a time that I had felt that the world was ending for me because I had no assistance. But, RefugePoint stepped in to help me, and for that I say a special thank you,” Rose tells us.