Rosa Pita

My name is Rosa Pita, I have been with Gender Links since the first meeting, I did the I story, phase 1-3 and now I’m here for the repeat I Story and monitoring of the entrepreneurship programme.

Before I met Gender Links, my life was not easy. My husband left me with our kinds in 1995, saying the he was going to look for a job in another province but he never came back.

Being a mother without a husband is very difficult in my culture. Without a job, someone to count on and with the judgment of society my life was a living nightmare. Despite all the negative things people used to say to me, I had my kids to take care of, so i started selling cakes and cool drinks to sustain them.

At that time i did not know how to do business. The small business i had was “okay” to give the family just enough to get thru the day. In 2001 i got a job at a local restaurant, i was working as a receptionist, while running my business on the side.

In 2003 the owner of the restaurant decided to close it, so I became reliant on the business only.

In 2014 when i was chosen by the council to join a group of women to be part of Gender Links entrepreneurship programme. Although it was hard at the beginning, when i had to remember all the things i went thru with my kids, from the second time I had contact with GL i was starting to be more open and comfortable with my past because I gained strength to restart make and make my life better. Gender Links came as a gift from haven, it though me a lot about human rights, gender and business.

After the training, I did a market research and realised could start selling food to people who worked around and didn’t have time to go home at lunch time or afford eating in a restaurant, so i did put together a business plan. Thanks to GL trainings today i own a place where i cook and sells food in the market.

Now I know how to register everything that comes in and goes out of the store, that way I am aware of the expenses and income of the business. Today I have two (2) bank accounts, I pay social security and most importantly, I am able to keep the kids school fees up to date.

Thru Gender Links entrepreneurship programme I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the capital city (Maputo) to be part of the national summit where I won the first place in the “EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS” category. Which was my ticket to attend the regional summit in Botswana. It was a privilege going there, meeting other women and sharing experience of life and business.

Being in Botswana opened my mind to new ideas and project, for myself and my community so by 2030 I would like to have expended my businesses and I would like my community to have a facture for processing tomato and sardines.

I would like to thank GL for the doors they opened for me for me and all the things they taught me, which I will keep sharing with other people.