Coleen Nyamupfukudza

Coleen, 28, is the fifth born in a family of six children. She lives in Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe, with her parents who are peasant farmers and she is the breadwinner of the family.

Coleen was not supported by CAMFED through school but she joined Cama in 2007, after learning about it from other Cama members in the district. She suffers from chronic headaches and other difficulties, but these have not stopped her from pursuing her dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman.

In 2010, Coleen started a buying and selling business, where she rented a shop and sold a variety of groceries. She looked for a piece of land where she could build a shop and used the profits from her business to purchase the building materials required. In 2011, Coleen’s father retired from work and gave her his pension, as a loan, to assist her with her building project. The shop is almost complete. It will have two sections – a bottle store and a grocery section.

Coleen received a grant from CAMFED of $100, which she used to buy more stock for her shop. So far she has purchased a fridge, a deep freezer, a TV and a generator. She is requesting assistance in the form of a loan so that she can speed up the process of completing her shop.

I advise all youngsters to make a life for themselves and not rush into marriage, to work hard and not be taken down by disability. I am not well but l work for myself.