Entrepreneurship program gives Grace new approaches for her family business
November 10, 2024 9:22 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
Since 2018, Grace Nawata James has been running a Tilapia Fish Farm and a Grocery Store with little knowledge on business operations, no support, and no formal business training.
CARE International in Vanuatu’s vision is to ensure women and girls with and without disabilities increase their economic resilience by engaging in improved income generating activities and/or having increased access to savings and loan. The Leftemap Famili Tugeta Project selected business champions to be part of a six-month Entrepreneurship Program, from its existing and current Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) in southeast, east and central Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu.
Grace was one of the successful business champions selected for the program from central Tanna.
After attending the six-month program, thanks to the trainings provided by the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and coaching provided by Velenie Jacob, a certified business coach, Grace gained more knowledge and developed new skills to grow her business.
Grace said, “after attending the program, I now know many things about business that I have never known before. It has helped me draw up a simple business plan with pictures focusing on the business goal and future. It also helped me make some changes on how I have been managing my fish farm and how I manage money earned from the Grocery Store.”
According to her, she has not been properly recording her business operations and this has changed since attending the entrepreneurship program. She has improved the recording of her business activities.
“But with the trainings and coaching, it has helped me to rethink and manage it well because it is a unique business and it can help us achieve our business goal and to sustain and improve our family living standards,” Grace said.
Grace said, the six months entrepreneurship program has led to her family deciding to set up more fishponds and aims to develop the fish farm into an agritourism business where tourists can come and visit.
“We are also improving the infrastructure to build better ponds and improve access to the fish farm.”
As part of the six months entrepreneurship program, CARE International in Vanuatu through the Leftemap Famili Tugeta Project has handed Grace a chainsaw, hammer, and knife to improve the infrastructure of her fish farm.
Grace said with the tools, her family was able to build bridges connecting the fishponds making it more accessible to her family and visitors.
“This program has helped me and my family a lot, the trainings, coaching and materials provided, will help us grow our business.”
“From this program, I can see changes happening in our family business” she said.
CARE International in Vanuatu’s Leftemap Famili Tugeta Project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.
