“My proudest moment as an entrepreneur was when I paid my children’s school fees through profits I made without asking my husband for it.”
Thirty-three-year-old Joyce Noah Mollel and her husband Mikael farm in northern Tanzania, just southwest of Arusha. With five children, ages 2-14, to feed and send to school, Joyce looked for other means of income when she heard about Solar Sister in January 2021 through a local woman’s group.
“I joined Solar Sister hoping to improve my family’s livelihood,” Joyce said. “Since then, my sales have been good, and we can afford three meals a day for the family. My children benefit by having school uniforms, and we can pay all of their school fees. The most helpful training is learning about capital, revenue, and profits.”
Joyce meets most of her customers through women’s groups and goes door to door. She does use the family’s motorcycle when she travels away from her community to sell products.
“My best selling products are the clean cookstoves. My customers mostly still use old ways of cooking but are interested in cleaner methods and not the harmful cooking methods they have been using. They like the efficiency, and the newer stoves are safer.”
Joyce is proud that she can offer her customers an affordable and cleaner way to prepare meals.
Throughout this last year, Joyce has been able to set her dreams in motion with the profits she earns as an entrepreneur.
“This work makes it possible for me to educate our children to the highest level, and I save for their education from my profits. I believe it is essential for women to have good work. It reduces dependency on our husbands, and it will also reduce women’s oppression.”
Joyce Mollel is wearing stylish boots thoughtfully donated by Penelope Chivers Boots.
Reporting from John Nyallu, Program Manager, Tanzania.