Kula Is: The Knowing You Belong
My name is Fausia, but my friends call me Fausi.
I have three children, Zurahia, Ali, and Bashir, and it’s been just the four of us for the last five years. The way it used to be, money was tough. I didn’t earn much -- a little here and there through some small farming, or helping a neighbor in the fields when I could. With all our needs, it just wasn’t enough.
But then, in 2018, I heard there was an organization coming to my community that invested in women and their businesses, and I thought this could be an opportunity for us.
So I took a chance and joined the Liddy Women’s Center. Through the classes, I learned how to build a real business: how to create beautiful handmade products, how to grow a healthy garden, and to sell crops on the local market. I started to realize that the skills I was learning could be a way to earn more for my family.
And as my classmates and I spent months side by side....learning, growing, and building confidence in ourselves and each other...
Something else happened: I started to find a community.
At the end of the fellowship, I graduated at the top of my class, and along with some of my friends, won the business investment competition. It was only the beginning.
We named our business Isoko Y’ubumenyi, which in English means Source of Knowledge. We started getting clients, and over time we even became a supplier of school uniforms in our village. So far we’ve used our earnings to buy a professional knitting machine, and even have our own storefront, so we can sell our products to tourists going to the National Park.
With my new income, I’ve been able to renovate my home- strengthening the walls and adding new doors.
Not only are all my kids in school, but I can afford to send two of them to private school. Before switching schools, Ali couldn’t read or write, and now he’s Top 5 in his class!
For me personally, I’ve grown so much as a leader...the classes from Kula taught me to speak freely and with pride. I’m now the local representative to assist in conflict management, health and well-being, and the government’s campaign to end gender-based violence.
You know, I used to feel so alone, but at the Liddy Center, I met women that became my family. I now know that I’m loved and supported.
