Empowering deaf people through entrepreneurship for economic resilience

Did the training meet your expectations?

It was great, to be honest with you, that other training has opened up my eyes quite widely. It was as if I had been living in the dark. However, after my participation I discovered that working together with others can be a great source of inspiration. Especially encountering in that training folks with whom we share the same challenges and who have overcome them, it absolutely gave me an added hope that I can and will overcome mine too, It really touched my heart. Moreover, what I noticed is that during the training there were many unemployed deaf people, but thanks to that workshop, I learned that if we deaf people were to combine ideas and strive to translate them into action, we could be able to change our lives for the better. The training was by all means what the doctor ordered. 

How has that training helped you so far?

As the purpose of the training was to enhance our entrepreneurship skills and gather us into solidarity groups so as to get easily a seed capital from our own savings. I am a member of one of the two solidarity groups which were created for the purpose of making contributions and saving money, especially making a weekly contribution. So from the amount of money I get in my small business, Each start of the week I try to set aside a small amount to contribute during the weekend. What challenges do you face in your Business and VICOBA saving approach? First, I would like to point out that finding the weekly contribution is not a piece cake for me, because even if I already have a business, I have other needs to fulfill such as supporting my family. Second, The lack of clients to buy my crafts does also worsen the already fragile economic situation.

How do you handle those challenges?

I hope that with the contributions I make in my solidarity group of the VICOBA (village Community Banking) program seen in the previous training, I will be able to change my living conditions, especially when we will start to share our weekly contributions. The sum of money that I will have, will help me to start another business. I am thinking and seriously planning to open a small shop although it will not be that easy.

You have just said it will not be easy, would you elaborate on that?

I do really appreciate the last training you offered us, but truth be told, I need a startup capital like a million Burundian francs to start another business. However, I acknowledge that I will have some money from my weekly contribution in the VICOBA; even so, to reach the sum of money needed to carry out my project, I must get more financial help. Thank you.