The feeling and experience of having lived with almost nothing have led a young businesswoman to give back to her countrymen and women in the form of cleanliness and maintaining good hygiene.
Linda Penexupifo Ndakolo, the founder of an SME, Linda P Creations cc, which has been in existence for two years, recently flocked to the streets of the Moses Garoeb constituency and hand out dishwashing liquid for residents to have an item that they can use to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“About 500 people benefitted from this donation which made us achieve the goal of preventing the spread of Covid-19,” said Ndakolo.
The sole purpose of the SME is to manufacture cleaning materials locally, creating employment and reduce import. “Talking about employment, Linda P Creations has managed to employee five persons so far and there is a plan to increase the number soon,” said Ndakolo.
She said with the high rate of unemployment, she saw the necessity of creating something by herself. “It came to my attention that a large percentage of dishwashing liquid and other cleaning detergents are imported. This led me to search for a simple solution to this seemingly complex problem,” she told Youth Corner.
With some research, she realised that the most cost-effective way to do this was to make dishwashing liquid and other detergents.
Ndakolo, who has a Banking and Finance degree and currently pursuing her second qualification in Business Administration (honours), at the University Of Namibia (Unam) says the toughest thing about being a young entrepreneur amidst the Covid-19 pandemic is how it has engulfed the whole business industry. “Right now, every business is affected, sales went down and some businesses are forced to close down, even though cleaning materials are essentials, we need raw material for production and this is a challenge now because some businesses that sell raw material have closed down, which makes it difficult for us to manufacture or produce the required amount.”
She feels young SMEs need money, mentorship, coaching and more. “As SMEs, the most thing we need at the moment is funding. We are experiencing financial challenges here and there which sometimes affect our production. Mentorship and coaching are another forms of assistance we desperately need to thrive in our ventures,” stated the business minded.
She urged financial institutions to set their requirements lower when it comes to the criteria of securing a loan.
“Most of us struggle to get assistance from the banks due to their high requirements, hence, they should reduce or relax their requirements,” she mentioned.
Ndakolo said Namibians should remain calm at all times and most importantly, to those who have lost their jobs to not give up. “Do not give up on yourself, the best fighter is never angry, calmness is asuperpower,” she believed.
To the world at large, Ndakolo stated that nothing is permanent as this too shall pass. “Take care of yourself and don’t forget to wash your hands with soap, stay home and remember you only got you, so take care of you.”
-psiririka@nepc.com.na