My life has changed since joining the Solar Sister program. After the first year, I built the chicken pen to sell chickens and open a cosmetic shop. Without the help of Solar Sister, I would not be able to achieve my goals.
Agnes Timothy Sarakikiya is a 43-year-old small business owner living near Arusha in northern Tanzania. She and her husband Denis Mungure have two children, a boy and a girl. Denis is a car mechanic, and Agnes raises and sells poultry, runs a small cosmetics shop, and is a Solar Sister Entrepreneur.
Agnes heard about the Solar Sister entrepreneurship opportunity two years ago from a woman’s group led by BRAC, and she signed up that day. While her husband had a good job, they depended entirely on his income, which was insufficient to sustain the family.
To be honest, I didn’t have any expectations about becoming an entrepreneur. I learned about growing businesses from the program. I got the education from the program. I saw that there was no cosmetic shop in the area, so I took the opportunity to open the shop.”
Agnes sells her products from Monday through Friday. She is part of Solar Sister’s Business Booster program. The Business Booster program includes additional 12 months of business training and provides product loans. This way, entrepreneurs can stock and sell larger home systems and solar lanterns and increase their income.
I believe it is important for women to have good work. It helps us to increase our income sources as women. Solar Sister provides us with education and connects us with other women. I’ve convinced many other women to join because of the benefits,” Agnes said.
Thank you to Energia for their support in gathering this Impact Story.