For almost a year now we at Catherine Nicole have be running our Chicks Against Child Brides program, which gives $5 from every catherinenicole.com sale to BRAC, an international non-profit who believes that with the right tools, women can play a crucial role in bringing about changes within their families and their communities. This donation contributes to the effort of giving impoverished girls access to microloans to start their own businesses.
Through our relationship with BRAC, we get to hear the wonderful ways our contributions are making a difference. Here is one of their latest success stories that we wanted to share with you.
Meet Annet…
From BRAC
Annet and her parents struggled to survive on their meager income in the Kasakoso village in Uganda. She was forced to drop out of school in the 5th grade because her parents couldn’t afford the fees. She tried to help out by getting a waitressing job at a local restaurant, which paid about 50 cents a day. Frustrated with the situation, Annet became interested in energy saving charcoal stoves. “This clay stove consumes very little charcoal compared to the ordinary charcoal stove,” she explains. “With this stove, UGX 500 (25 cents) of charcoal can last for three days of cooking, which goes a long way to save both the trees and money for users.”
Annet joined one of BRAC’s clubs for adolescent girls, where one of our trained mentors provided her with life skills and financial literacy training that helped her build her business. She was given a loan to expand her business. Today, Annet employs four people who help her make more than 200 stoves a week.
“The BRAC adolescent program and loan have developed me financially,” says Annet. “I have become more responsible after gaining business and finance management skills.”
With a safe space, training, and a small loan, BRAC gave Annet the tools she needed to start a successful business that creates jobs and protects the environment.
