Pagina 42 IAK047

Woman in thee
Witnessed her parents killed
Now a committed entrepreneur 

I saw my parents hacked into pieces in Congo. And I fled to refugee camp Kakuma. But I found it hard to survive on the UNHRC-food distribution only. So, I started my own business, a Kombucha tea business, with the support of the business incubation of Action Africa Help International. “My business is currently helping me and the community in many ways”.  I am Mutoni Arina, Congolese by nationality. I am 26, married and a mother of three kids. My parents were killed in my present during the tribal war in Congo when I was 17 and the only child in the family. I could not believe my eyes seeing my parents being killed in the broad day light. They died in a painful way. They cut my parents into pieces with sharp tools. It was really traumatizing to be left alone without relatives or someone to take care of me. The killers could have killed me too but I hid at the corner of my compound and covered myself with an old clothe which is perforated that allowed me to see through. After the killers left, I ran to my boyfriend whom I had been in a relationship for long time. His life was also in danger because we were from a minority tribe and the majority tribe wanted to kill us all. We teamed up with other people who were running for safety to Kakuma. We arrived in Kakuma in 2011. However, I found life in Kakuma difficult if you depend only on the food distributed by UNHCR. I wanted something to do in order to improve and sustain my family. And I started a small vegetable farm including cabbages, kale (known locally as Sukuma wiki), and spinach. This farm was really supporting me. I got little cash from the sale of the vegetables. I used this money to buy additional food stuffs, apart from the food given by the UNHCR, to supplement the diet. Besides, I saved some money for expanding the business because I had the idea of establishing a bigger business that would help me and the community. I wanted to start a business in Kombucha tea production. Kombucha tea is a sweetened green or black tea that is fermented with the help of symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). I named my business ‘Kasoka Drink’ and I went to seek a financial loan from the business incubation in Kakuma run by Action Africa Help International (AAHI) which lends out money to help refugee start their own business. I was given the loan and I used the money to purchase the equipment required for my business. I started Kasoka Drink in 2015. I am very grateful for the support of AAHI. My business is currently helping me and the community in many ways. Firstly, Kombucha tea has various health benefits. It helps for instance to improve digestion, strengthen the immune system, relief arthritis, reduce blood pressure, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and cure peptic ulcer diseases. Secondly, I have trained and I am continuing training people on how to produce Kombucha tea. Two of my students are already professional producers of Kombucha tea and they're also helping the community. Thirdly, I have employed one person to work with me in Kasoka Drink. And I am planning to expand the business so I will be looking for more employees. The business has changed the life of my family abundantly. I am able to eat a balanced diet every day. My dream is to extend this business to the rest of the world and create more opportunities for refugees and others.
Interested to get into contact with Mutoni? Email: info@i-am-kakuma.online


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