When Veronique Uwihanganye became an orphan at the age of 12, she thought that her life was going to end in misery. Today, however, the 37- year- old is a successful entrepreneur with a shop stocked with various goods, a journey that has been supported by Business Development Fund (BDF), attracts various clients who enter the market. As I approach her for the interview her, at her shop situated at the entrance of Nyanza market, I find her crocheting, an activity that keeps her the company as she patiently waits for clients. Born in 1982, the Nyanza native narrated how after the death of their parents at a tender age, she began contemplating on the next move of survival together with her young sister, since they had no other support at all. She was orphaned while in Primary Five and was forced to drop out of school upon completion of Primary Six since she couldn’t raise her secondary level tuition. “Since no one else could take care of us, I had to drop out of school and find survival means,” she said. With no place to stay, they resorted to living with their uncle’s wife since their uncle had also passed away. That was in 1999. “We stayed together but she could not afford all our needs including school fees,” she narrated. It was then that Uwihanganye began working as a casual laborer while also training in plumbing for months. It was through plumbing that she saved up to Rwf15, 000 which she used as capital for her samosa business. To save costs, she made them from home and hawked them in the neighborhood. “With the profits made from samosas, I saved little money and I started making samosas at home and would peddle them around the village for interested buyers. By the year 2002, I had saved Rwf50, 000 which I used to launch a small shop in Nyanza market,” she said. She began retailing merchandise such as sugar, salt, palm oil, soap and other goods. “During that time, a sack of sugar cost around Rwf14, 000, a sack of salt went for Rw3, 500, while the stand used to display my products cost Rwf1, 500 every month. This means with Rwf50, 000, I was ready to start the business,” she said. In 2015, she learned about Busasamana SACCO, located in Nyanza Distrist through an advertisement in the area. The SACCO was supported by BDF and she became curious to know if she could also be supported, which she eventually joined in an attempt to multiply her supplies. “Through the SACCO, financed by BDF, gave me Rwf500, 000 which I used to stock more goods in the shop. I managed to pay back the loan and BDF gave me another loan of Rwf500, 000 in the following year which I also paid back. I got the loan three times and managed to pay back. I managed to buy a plot of land, worth of Rwf1.5 million on which I built a house even though it later collapsed. However, I am currently able to rent a house thanks to this business,” she said. Today her shop boasts of various items which include cosmetic products, different hygiene essentials, food products, utensils, household items among others. The mother of four also added that the business has enabled her to afford different needs in the family. “My sales are worth Rwf50, 000 every day. This helps me to support eight family members including my four children and a single mother of two. I also pay health insurance for all of them. Through my business, I have managed to pay school fees for my young sister. She completed university and is now married,” she said. Also, two of her children will join high school next year and this is motivating her to work even harder. “I need more financial support from BDF to expand the business and afford all my family needs as well as prepare a good future of my children,” she said. BDF continues to decentralize services to sector level by conducting campaigns to raise awareness in the community about access to finance. Statistics from Business Development Fund (BDF) indicate that the fund registered over 2,084 businesses in 2018 through credit guarantees, grants, SACCO refinancing, quasi equity and leasing among different services offered by BDF. BDF was targeting to support over 4,826 projects worth Rwf11.5 billion this year, compared to 2,084 bankable projects worth over Rwf11 billion last year. By July 2019, 40,254 beneficiaries have been supported with Rwf89.2 billion since BDF establishment. The orphan narrates how she moved from peddling Sambusa to shopkeeper in Nyanza market
