Rosa Pita – Mozambique

Set to bring change to the entire community

My life has been a challenge as my husband left me in 1995 when he went away looking for a job and never came back and I had to take care of six children by myself. I had to find a way to survive and raise my children, who at that point depended on me alone. So in 1997 I decided to work in a small hotel in town and I worked there until 2013. During this time I was a full time worker and I was running my own business on the side. With the money I earned from the job and my business, I managed to send my kids to school. In the same year (2013), I left the work at the hotel because the owner decided to close it and I concentrated on my business. It was a challenge at first, but after a year of focus and dedication I realised that I could persist and take care of my family with the money from the business.

In 2014, I had my first contact with Gender Links (GL). It was an honour for me as I learned about human rights and other such important aspects of life. Before I encountered GL, life was a challenge for me as a business woman. After I participated in the GL entrepreneurship training, I was more open minded about business and the opportunities to grow the business.

Through the experience I gained from GL training, I learnt how to manage my business well and I learnt that I am capable of teaching other women about their rights. It has been such a great opportunity for me to be able to pass my experience on to those in need.

I am so thankful to Gender Links for the opportunity given to me through this training. I now feel that I am a different person and that my business is growing. I am moving on from just selling glossaries, I am selling DStv equipment in partnership with one of my older sons. We are successful in this business and are considering extending it to other areas, but first we are working on buying transport, so that we can easily move our products to those areas.

I consider myself a women of success. If I look back on my life I see that God had been in the centre of my life as well as of my children’s lives. I really thank GL, as well, for the management training that brought so many changes to my life and to the lives of those communities where I am involved in training as a replica of GL’s training. More women now know about their rights and about justice. My children are very proud of me and my work.