How Abbas defied odds to make lemonade from life’s lemons
Abbas Husaini Shuaibu first learned about the opportunity to get trained in a livelihood skill by the Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods and Health (GIRL-H) program from his sister. He applied several times but was not accepted.
Speaking in Hausa, Abbas said “I was disappointed each time but because I was desperate for a change in my situation, I persisted.”
Before Abbas, a 20 year old resident of Kurna Asabe, Dala Local Government Area (LGA), Kano state, heard about the training program he earned his living selling water from wheelbarrows. He would walk long distances to water boreholes within his community to fill his gallons and then walk to different houses to sell to residents.
“I walked around trying to reach customers even on hot and sunny days and made about six hundred naira daily,” he said.
Rainy days were dreaded because he did not make sales on those days. In search of a better life, he decided to join the military - it was the only hope in sight for him. Even this proved difficult as he applied several times but was not accepted. As the years went by, he grew older but kept faith.
“The rejections made me sad, even miserable but I did not lose hope. I continued to hope and kept pushing forward,” he continued.
It was during this time that he learned about the GIRL-H program. The program is implemented in five local government areas of Kano state namely Kumbotso, Dala, Fagge, Ungogo and Tarauni LGA.
GIRL-H partners traditional and religious leaders within the communities of implementation to give them a grasp of the program goals and to get their support. These leaders then help to identify adolescents and young people living within the community, who meet the criteria to be enrolled in the program.
After several rejections, his resilience paid off and he finally got accepted into the program. Life took a different turn as he was launched into a world where he felt he could be anything he wanted to be.
“The life skills and livelihood training I received boosted my confidence and I had a renewed sense of hope.”
He was presented with an option of skills he could be trained on and he chose shoe making, an occupation that he had previously been interested in.
“I enrolled in shoe making because I had been interested in it. I took a loan to set up my business, and after the 12-week training, we were given one hundred and twenty thousand naira as start-up capital.”
Abbas has not only grown in his business but now has students from the community who he trains in shoe making. This peer mentoring is a strategy to strengthen the leadership skills of participants and to increase community acceptance as the community members witness the transformation in the lives of the young people.
Speaking about his plans for business sustainability, he shared his frustrations about the increasing inflation rate which results in a steady rise in the cost of materials.
Expressing this worry, he said “It can be discouraging as it makes it difficult to plan.”
He devised a means to cushion the effect of challenge with inflation and ensure sustenance by saving a percentage of his sales.
On his plans for the future, Abbas hopes to become so innovative that he begins to attract foreign partnership.
“Because of my desire to attract foreign partners, I constantly update my knowledge of new designs and find ways to improve on them so that I can be not only relevant but also competitive globally.”
Abbas who now mentors other adolescents and young people says he hopes to leave a legacy by raising other entrepreneurs. He plans to expand his business to become a major producer and distributor of foot wares.
The GIRL-H program has an objective of helping young people use life skills and social capital for improved well-being and personal agency. Abbas is one of many youths the program has reached and his story is proof that given the right opportunities, anyone can thrive.
About the GIRL-H Program
Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods + Health (GIRL-H) is a Mercy Corps-implemented 36-month programme targeting adolescent girls, boys, and young people in Kenya, Uganda, Haiti and Nigeria. The programme aims to improve girls’ well-being by increasing their access to and uptake of life skills, health information, basic numeracy and literacy, and financial literacy, as well as foster pathways to formal education, economic opportunities, and civic engagement.
The overall goal of GIRL-H is that adolescent girls, boys, and young people experience improved well-being and increased access to educational, economic, and civic engagement opportunities, contributing to individual and household resilience.