Faith
Faith
Faith is 33 years old. She is a widow with three daughters and lives in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Faith’s husband passed away after an illness. Because she has only daughters, her husband’s family will not allow her to inherit his possessions. They sometimes come to her house to take away items of any value, which they say belong to them by rights.
Being a single mother is very difficult. I am worried about our future, we might have to move back to live with my parents.

Faith enrolled in the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme in 2016. “I heard about Women for Women International through my church. I was interested to join because I wanted to learn.” Faith chose knitting as her vocational skill because the costs are low to start, and there is always a demand for clothes so the business is sustainable.

Before I joined the programme, I was selling rice. But I didn’t know how to calculate whether I was making a profit, or losing money.

“With the stipend I received from Women for Women International, I invested in a knitting machine and wool.” Faith sells the clothes she knits to her neighbours, and at the market. She has also started to produce uniform jumpers for the local school.
“In the future, I want to expand my business. My dream would be to open a shop, where I can sell the clothes."
"Women for Women International has taught [me] how to record [my] finances, so now I know when my business is successful.”
Faith uses the profits from her business to pay school fees for her daughters, and to buy food for the family.
My hope for the future is to provide a good education for my daughters. I will also teach them how to knit, so they have a skill.
read more stories
Francine
subtitle:
Francine fled Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. When she returned, she had to stop her education and find work. Married at an early age, she soon found it difficult to work and provide for her growing family, but beekeeping changed everything.
Shireen
subtitle:
Unable to find work as a refugee, Shireen desperately wanted to learn a new skill that could help her provide for her family. Shireen learnt how to sew, but she gained more than the ability to make clothes: she learnt about her worth and value as a woman.
Nanbam
subtitle:
Nanbam’s life was changed after attending the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme. She learnt new skills that could help her and her family, and other women too. Nanbam’s outlook changed from meeting her own immediate needs to helping other women.