A determined Epworth, young lady refused to let her poor background and failure by her parents to send her to university stop block her from achieving her dreams.
Martha Mandishona from Epworth’s Overspill, who at 23 is now a proud owner of a thriving hair salon, has managed to conquer the world even after failing to get into university.
Born to financially challenged parents in the poor dormitory town of Epworth she was exposed to poverty in the family and despite her intelligence and good Advanced level results, she failed to proceed to university owing to lack of financial resources.
Determined to shake herself out of poverty and disappointed that her parents could not pay her tuition to take her to university she had to find a way out of it.
“I was in a miserable situation seeing some of my classmates proceeding to University, however this motivated me to change my situation,” she said.
Mandishona a strong woman who believes in hard work moved to create a platform for herself which would change her life and that of her family.
After starting her business, she has now become the major breadwinner in her family and is now assisting the family by bringing food to the table.
Speaking about her business, she said that her business is growing as more clients keep coming for her services. She specialises in wig making and hairdressing.
“Financial stability is very important in a young woman’s life because there are a lot of things you need as a young woman that require money. As for me l can provide for my own sanitary wear, clothes and toiletries among other vital needs” she said.
Despite her achievements, Mandishona has a standing desire to pursue a degree in Economics at the University of Zimbabwe.
She also aspires to expand her salon and inspire other young women into the enterprise.
One thing she likes about her business is that she is the boss and currently she is working with another woman whom she has employed. She has a vision of restructuring her workplace as it was demolished during the government’s operation.
Story by Annah Sande