Her fate seemed to be sealed. A life without much opportunity lay ahead for her. In school she had not been able to go beyond the fourth grade. Left alone with two little ones, she had been forced to return to live with her parents. To be able to earn a living she cultivated the fields, but besides being very tiring, it always failed to provide her with sufficient income.
Dougracia, 22, born and raised in the Lugela district, one day heard a promotional message on the radio about the Resilient Youth Project. “The ad,” she recalls today, “came at a time when I was looking for some activity that would allow me to earn more money. Knowing Lugela’s hatchery already, she thought it was an interesting opportunity and got in touch with the CELIM technician.”
Initially, many friends and relatives tried to discourage her by telling her that she was wasting her time and that joining the fish farming project would not bring any gain. She did not listen to them, however, and went ahead despite the initial difficulties. She now runs a pond. “I like doing fish farming,” she says contentedly, “and if the business goes well I think one day I will open a second pond. So far she has caught a good amount of fish. Some of it she has consumed at home with family and friends, the other she has sold locally, and the proceeds have helped her cover some small household expenses (soap and other necessities) and save a small amount of money. “Now,” she continues, “my family is proud of me and supports me in running the pond. Even the girls like to go to the ponds and see the little fish.”
Her dream is to save money both to be able to invest and continue the business and to be able to build his own house in Lugela. “There is an area not very far from my pond where there is vacant land,” he says, “I would like to be able to live near the pond so that I can easily take care of it. What I want most of all is to be able to take care of my girls and for them to be able to go to school and have everything they need.” But her dream is also to be able to go back to school. “When I was studying in elementary school, my brother called me to Maputo to help him at home,” she recalls. “Once I returned to Lugela, after a few years, I never went back to school. I would like to go back to school although, at the moment, I find it difficult because I would have to move daily to the district office and then have transportation or pay 150 meticais every day. But that’s not necessarily in the future.”
via Donatello 5 B
