Nathalie is one of the female entrepreneurs supported by the ‘Together for Women’ project. Here is her story.

"In our country, women don't have many choices: developing an economic activity is pretty much our only way of earning a salary. With the war, many mothers find themselves alone. My husband left to work in a mine because he couldn't find work here. I hear very little from him and I don't know when he'll come back with money. In the meantime, I have to feed and educate my children..."

Learning to be an entrepreneur

Nathalie started a small business processing and selling cassava products. "But I was running it in a disorganised way, without any management tools or a clear vision. I never knew how much I was earning because no one had explained any of this to me. So I asked to take part in the “Ensemble Pour Elles” project. There, I was able to take courses on business management and the tools to use. A coach came to see me regularly to check on my progress, and I also received a small amount of financial support to buy better equipment. Thanks to the project, I also contribute to a mutual insurance scheme, which allows me to get medical care for my family at a lower cost. Twice a month, I go to the ‘Safe Space’, where I can talk to my fellow female entrepreneurs and Divine, the psychologist. I explain my difficulties there and I feel that I am not alone. It helps me to keep going..."

Today, Nathalie employs two young women from her neighbourhood and dreams of opening a larger workshop. She says: ‘As an entrepreneur, my goal is to create employment opportunities for other women. I want my business to generate value, provide decent work and contribute to the development of my community.’

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