Botswana: Olebogile Osetse

Entry 24280

"I have overcome these challenges with the help of the entrepreneurship trainings"

In 2014, I met Gender Links for the first time and right from the start they took me through entrepreneurship trainings which I enjoyed and have benefitted from. With the help of the trainings I have been able to provide for myself and move away from living an impoverished lifestyle. I particularly enjoyed coming together as different individuals to learn about preparing business plans and how a business is operated. I managed to complete all the trainings carried out by Gender Links and because of that, other people are interested in them as well.

Gender Links has changed my life; I am currently a business owner and I am personally experiencing much less violence and abuse than before. I am running a registered poultry business in Serowe that is growing steadily. I am now financially better off than I was before. With the help of the trainings, I have learnt to do cash flow and keep accurate records of my business’ operations. I have learnt how to properly run my business and the importance of noting all income and expenditure from one year to the next.

The challenges in my business I came across were prior to meeting Gender Links and they include a lack of knowledge; I did not know what was considered before prices were set. I was unaware of how to keep and take care of the chickens and the process of giving them their medication. Other challenges included chickens not laying eggs, a shortage of power and water along with small funds. I have overcome these challenges with the help of the entrepreneurship trainings and because of them I am prepared for any more challenges that may come up.

My wish for the future is to see an improvement in my life with the addition of a new house of my own, having a steady income and running a successful business. I also wish to see Gender Links grow and lift the status of Batswana and that God may help them all.