Page 37 - ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Building a Better Future;

Mwajuma’s Story

Mwanajuma Salim, hailing from Waa Ganzoni, is a testament to
the transformative power of the Shared Futures program.
Raised in a family of six children, Mwanajuma faced significant
financial constraints that curtailed her education after comple-
ting Class 8 at Waa Primary School. Despite these challenges,
her determination to build a better future for herself remained
strong.
With the support of a government bursary, Mwanajuma enrolled
in Tiwi Polytechnic, where she pursued a course in tailoring.
She completed her studies and received her certificate in
December 2023. "I was fortunate to get a bursary which enabled
me to attend Tiwi Polytechnic and study tailoring," Mwanajuma
recalls.

While at Tiwi Polytechnic, Mwanajuma and her peers were
introduced to Africa Youth Trust (AYT) by Madam Tumu. "When
Madam Tumu introduced and talked about Shared Futures, we
were intrigued and decided to learn more," she says. The
encounter sparked Mwanajuma's interest and marked the
beginning of her transformative journey

Mwanajuma diligently works on her sewing machine,
the first significant investment she made using profits
from her reselling business, as she continues to build The encounter sparked Mwanajuma's interest and marked the
her tailoring enterprise.
beginning of her transformative journey

The trainings provided under the Shared Futures program through AYT were comprehensive, covering self
awareness, confidence-building, entrepreneurship, and employability skills. "Madam Tumu taught us to be
confident and self-aware. She encouraged us to embrace our skills and not feel ashamed of our work,"
Mwanajuma recalls. The entrepreneurship training was particularly impactful. "We learned how to present
ourselves when looking for jobs, how to write a CV and conduct market research," she explains. These skills
were essential in helping her identify opportunities and build her business.

After the training, Mwanajuma applied the skills she learned to conduct market research. "Madam Tumu
taught us the importance of market research. I used this knowledge to find a suitable location for my
business," she notes. To save money for her tailoring business, Mwanajuma started a small business buying
stock from Mombasa Market (Marikiti), which consisted mostly of clothes,handbags and reselling them for
a profit. "I used to help my sister by buying clothes and handbags from Marikiti and selling them.
I saved the profits to buy my sewing machine," she explains. With the money saved, she eventually
purchased her sewing machine.

33 Annual Report 2024