A N$700 village savings loan helped Foibe Nakashwa build a registered sewing business producing school bags and tracksuits despite early setbacks.
Nakashwa (52), from Oshaaneko in the Ompundja constituency of the Oshana region, says she turned to sewing at the age of 35 after struggling to find employment.
She tells The Namibian she had no formal training, adding that sewing was simply a talent she had always possessed.
Looking for a way to earn a living, she joined a village savings group where members saved money and could borrow small loans.
She took a N$700 loan and used it to buy sewing materials. That small investment became the foundation of her business.
“I started my sewing business because I am unemployed. I am not formally trained; it’s just a talent I have,” she says.
In 2013, Nakashwa joined the Financial Literacy Initiative (FLI), a national programme that helps individuals and small businesses improve their financial knowledge and business skills.
The programme taught her how to register a business, manage finances, build networks and grow her customer base.
She registered her business, Ashiwe Trading CC, later that year.
“I started my business long ago, but it did not grow because I had no strategy for growing it. The training helped me understand how to run and expand my business,” she said at the National MSMEs Festival in Windhoek last week.
Today, Nakashwa owns two industrial sewing machines and one overlocker machine. She makes cloth school bags and school tracksuits for pupils.
She said her next goal is to make leather school bags, which she believes are more durable and better suited for children during the rainy season. She added that she also wants to buy an embroidery machine to brand the tracksuits before selling them.
Like many small businesses, Nakashwa’s enterprise suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. She said orders slowed down and she relied on her savings to survive.
She said she is now rebuilding her business one step at a time.
“I am now restarting, but I will forge ahead,” she said.
