Kura Samba, a 23-year-old female tailor from Kerr Ali, North Bank Region (NBR) has expressed gratitude and appreciation to the European Union (EU) funded Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) Mini Gant Scheme for enabling her to realize her dreams in owning a Tailoring Shop.
The Mini Grant, according to her, has paved the way for her to become an employer of two youth in her Tailoring shop and at the same time enable her to financially support her family.
The YEP Mini Grant, which amounts to Forty-Seventy thousand dalasis (D47,000.00), is geared towards enhancing the employment and employability of Gambia’s youth folk by providing trainings such as Entrepreneurship, Vocational and Access to finance.
“I thank God and YEP for coming to my aid because things were not easy for me. It is through the mini grant that I am able to employ two people and expand my business,” says Ms Samba, while speaking to GYIN Gambia Media Team in an exclusive interview.
She disclosed that getting the mini grant has made her to fulfill her family responsibilities as well as settle her personal needs.
After graduating from Gaye Nyoro Skills Training Centre in Farafenni, North Bank Region, Ms Samba joined her brother’s tailoring workshop in Tallinding for six Months before opening her own shop where she spent two years.
“I was assisted by my father who bought different machines for me to kick-start my own tailoring workshop,” she explained.
Furthermore, she attended the EMPRETEC Trainings where she obtained a certificate which exposed her to try her luck for the YEP mini grant scheme.
Ms Samba received her disbursement from YEP mini grant through the National Cooperative Credit Union of the Gambia (NACCUG) in January, 2019 to expand her business.
Buttressing on Ms Samba’s successes, her husband, Mr Katim Njie said he is currently managing the finance of the business.
Before winning the mini grant, he disclosed that he was taking care of the operational costs of the business such as paying electricity bill, rent etc but thanks to the intervention of the mini grant scheme.
“Now with the mini grant, she is able to buy all the necessary materials for her business and also supporting the family,” he said.