24 Mar 2015

Many youth around the country work tireless to improve their lives through government empowerment schemes and programmes such as Youth Development Fund and CEDA.

Ms Kedibonye Basele of Mokgoni Laundry Services in Maun said in an interview that Youth Development Fund gave her dignity and encouraged youths to take advantage of the scheme.

The 34-year-old of Maun said it took her an onerous three years of going back and forth to access funding for her business. “I believe in success despite my failure to make it in academics, I did not give up but continued to fight hard to make ends meet for my family and achieve my dream of becoming a great woman in life,” she added.

Ms Basele said she was funded with P77 000 for her Mokgoni Laundry Services in 2010 through which she bought two washing machines for P21 000 and two drying machines for P13 800. Ms Basele said she washes and dries clothes, irons and packages them for delivery including wedding gowns and suits.

Despite challenges of water shortage, rent and power expenses, she said, her business managed to make income as she has started to pay back the loan to YDF. Ms Basele who completed her Junior Certificate at Sedie Junior School in 1998 said it has proved difficult to employ youth in her business as they do not last long as employees since they want fast cash.

She said at first she used to rent at Pakis Complex at Botshabelo ward where rental plus utilities proved to be too steep. “To avoid all those cost I decided to ask permission from council in 2012 in order to operate my business at home and that happened as my business falls under the categories of businesses that can be operated at home,” she said.

Ms Basele said to operate at home it took her again some expense to build a pavement and drains at the place, connect electricity and buy a Jojo tank for water supply as her business needs much water. She said sometime her business ran out of finance but that gave her courage to move on and in 2013 she was blessed to be one of those people to train 29 people under Nyeletso Lehuma programme in laundry services in which she was paid almost P30 000 upon completion of the training.

Ms Basele said in that amount she managed to pay P10 000 to YDF to cover up the loan she got from them adding that as for now she left with P6000 to finish her loan. “I am turning 35 years this year and I will be no longer a youth so I am trying around to finish up the loan only this year because I want to make my own profit and also to increase my services so that my business can grow,” she said.

Ms Basele said she wants to apply for a Kickstart grant to expand her business into Dry Clean and Laundry services adding that she has many customers so far.
She said many people find no time to wash their clothes and iron them as many of them go to work from Monday to Friday and on Saturday and Sunday they rest and some go to Churches.

Meanwhile Ms Gladys Kelebemang, Principal Youth Programmes Officer said many youth were doing great in their businesses as they were improving in paying their loans back. Ms Kelebemang said the Ministry’s mission is to see youth coming up with multi-million profit making businesses that will create jobs for other youth and the nation at large.
Ms Kelebemang encouraged those youth who have once got loans from LIMID to come to their office to acquire loan schemes as long as they are youth. ENDS