Maama Irene never stops working. Every day, she bustles to make hot meals in her restaurant in the Kabojja, outskirts of Kampala City.
From 7 am to 1 pm, she, along with her one employee, make a variety of Ugandan food.
Maama Irene’s drive to provide for her family didn’t just come out of her passion for cooking; it also came from necessity. Like so many female Jumpstart Africa clients, She had to become the primary breadwinner for her family.
Women like her begin to sell food on the street outside the market places to make ends meet. For Maama Irene, the work was tough, and though selling food helped to feed her growing children, she couldn’t afford their school fees.
She started with a loan of US $ 82 in February 2017, she graduated to another of US $ 164 in July of 2017 after 20 weeks and later to $ 246 after another 20 weeks she got US $ 328 for 30 weeks. She is now on her fifth loan cycle of again US $ 328 which she got in Nov 2018. She prides in being able to buy a refrigerator which helped her stock drinks which help her earn an additional US $ 10 profit per week in addition to other income from food sales and being able to pay school fees for her children.
With micro loans from Jumpstart Africa, She has expanded her business as the loans have helped to pay for her stove and pans and for equipping the seating area of the restaurant. . It occupies one rented space with two rooms in their small town and consists of a kitchen, a seating area