KEETMANSHOOP – Shezley Davids says after being left with no income or employment due to Covid-19, the National Youth Credit Scheme came to their rescue by opening doors of opportunity.
She said this at a ceremony where 52 beneficiaries from the //Kharas, Hardap and Khomas regions received financial assistance from the scheme to the tune of N$406 000 last week in Keetmanshoop.
“Getting up on my feet was not easy, but through this cash injection and entrepreneurship training, I am now running an upholstery business made from wooden pellets, and also manufacturing high-quality leather bags,” she said.
She said she learned a lot and gained valuable knowledge and skills during a week-long entrepreneurial skills and business or financial management workshop prior to qualifying for the credit grant.
“It furthermore provided me with an opportunity to learn how to run a business, and improve my living conditions,” Davids said.
She also informed New Era that she employs people, and further encouraged unemployed youth to never give up in life, despite the challenges they face.
In his contribution, 33-year-old Fritz Gaweseb from the Hardap region said “I learned a lot about budgeting and price costing, which can assist me now to become self-employed, and also support other community members”.
He continued: “I am confident to make a profit from the N$8 000 start-up capital received”.
He further urged his peers to move away from the notion that it is impossible to progress from nothing in life.
Meanwhile, //Kharas region-based Rowen Rooi (22), who runs a photography studio with three others, regards youth as the future of entrepreneurship.
“The calculated risks and challenges we, as upcoming entrepreneurs, are facing are nothing compared to the success and prosperity we will achieve at the end of the journey,” he said with confidence.
He added that the credit scheme came to them as a light shining in the darkness they were in.
Rooi advised that by applying an assertive mindset and perseverance, you can breed success.
He advised that “Youth who did not yet qualify for the scheme should actively participate in all programmes and register on the database for future consideration”.
-sklukowski@nepc.com.na