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Written by Our Senior Staff
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Friday, 20 July 2012 07:32 |
“If we wait for government to provide jobs and empower us then we will surely die before the government comes in”
Since the cessation of the civil crisis in the country that destroyed the fabrics of the Liberian society, the issue of job creation and employment has been one of the major problems confronting the nation and its people.
Due to the high unemployment rate, many Liberians are finding other alternatives of seeking livelihoods through self- employment. This is the case with a Liberian woman who has made washing clothes a business as a means of earning daily bread.
Madam Bendu Kaba, a mother of 4 and resident of Johnson Street in Monrovia, told the In Profile Daily that she has been washing clothes for a little over five years for people as a job.
According to her, there came a time when life became unbearable for her family so she decided to collect her neighbors’ dirty clothes to wash for a little token only to sustain her children.
Madam Kaba further explained that after washing clothes for few days, community residents built confidence and started to appreciate her so thereby making the habit as a permanent business.
Beaming with smiles while narrating her story, she boasted of having more customers who would call on her for dirty clothes thus prompting her to charge them the amount of L$250 for each bundle of clothes.
Madam Kaba said she generates the amount of L$1,500 daily during the Dry Season but was quick to note that the amount reduces during the Rainy Season.
“I am proud to say that I am currently saving a little over L$ 12,000 in a local bank, while at the same time I am engaged in other income generating activities including Daily Susu”, She disclosed.
Madam Kaba also indicated: “Keeping your hands in cold water on a daily basis is not an easy thing for one to do, but since I make it my business and with the burden of sustaining my children I do not mind the effects. I always pray for God to keep sickness far away from me because when I fall ill it becomes a problem for the entire family”.
The woman said she is able to send her children to school and ‘win bread’ for them from washing clothes. “My little daughter just graduated from the Kindergarten class to the first grade”, she noted.
She said although the country is so hard, there is a need for Liberians to get involved in what she calls self- empowerment ventures instead of depending on the government.
“If we wait for government to provide jobs and empower us then we will surely die before the government comes in”, Madam Kaba emphasized.
Meanwhile, she has challenged young Liberians especially women to utilize their hands in making ends- meet instead of engaging in acts that could bring disgrace to them and their womanhood.
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