When you meet Nanbet Magdalene, you would be surprised to learn that she was a struggling single mother raising five children only five years ago. Her husband abandoned the family, and Nanbet did everything she could to get meals on the table.
“Growing up was challenging because my parents were not together, and I didn’t really have anyone to help me. So I got into an early marriage to get some support.”
The marriage did not go well, and her husband left in 2011. He sold the family farm, locked Nanbet out of the house, and left her to raise her five children. In 2016 Nanbet heard about Solar Sister and decided to give it a try, buying the minimum product to join. She attended the monthly training and set up her business.
With a focus on earning a living, Nanbet started to make sales and bring in income. She bought herself a small solar lamp and clean cookstove, so she saved on the cost of kerosene and wood. Little by little, Nanbet increased her sales. As a result, she has been able to pay for two grandchildren to go to school.To help support her small farm nestled in the rolling green hills of Plateau State in Nigeria, she used her savings to buy fertilizers and labor. The fertilizer raised her own yield of potatoes, maize, and beans.
“Before, my life wasn’t like this. People have since been surprised to see my children and me with meat on our bones, looking healthy. With the profits from selling solar lamps, I paid for two grandchildren to go to school. I also pay for fertilizers and laborers for my field, which helps me to grow more. I grow potatoes and maize and beans. In the future, I want to buy a large plot of land – that’s what I’m saving up for now.”
Joining Solar Sister has changed her life in more ways than financial gain.
“It is not just the income. I made friends with Mercy, another Solar Sister Entrepreneur. We advise each other on how to sell products and on the challenges. Sometimes we visit each other. We rub our minds together and arrive at answers.”
Nanbet is proud of the impact her products have had on her customers’ lives and the life of her community.
“The lamps and clean stoves change people’s lives and reduce poverty. Many people tell me that when they buy the product, it reduces costs for them.”