20 Aug 2018

Through poverty eradication programme, Ms Sweater Segomelo (57) has made a success story of her life.

According to Segomelo, who hails from Moshupa in Mmasetsele Ward, poverty eradication is a tailor-made programme to alleviate poverty and eradicate joblessness amongst Batswana.

Through the programme, she has managed to hire herself, create employment for one and with the proceeds she has managed to build herself a modern house.

When BOPA visited her, Segomelo relayed her history in bakery dating back to early1990s when she would cook and sell fat cakes to school going children and locals.

Narrating her story, she said, “It was by then that I realised that bread is my food for thoughts, I love cooking bread for my family and I am virtuous in preparing it. I therefore recognised that I can do bakery to sufight hunger in my family whilst trading but then lack of resources to kick start the business became a major problem.”

She said she applied for funding through the poverty eradication programme later in 2012 and was approved in 2013.

They were then taken for a six weeks course where they got trained to prepare assorted bakery products as well as the skills of managing the business.

Through the funding she was given a dough mixer, measuring scale, double deck oven and generator amongst others.

She said currently her business, which sells loaves, buns, scones and diphaphatha to the community, is doing well.

She also hailed the support that she gets from Social & Community Development office for awarding her a tender to supply Mosielele Primary school with loaves weekly on Thursdays.

Segomelo added, “bread is a staple food for all, mostly consumed for breakfast and supper times therefore with bread one can never go wrong.

Besides selling to the public and tuck-shops, I also supply the primary school with 43 loaves per week and that has boosted my business so much.”

The mother of two revered that her bread is unique from the rest because she does not use a lot of cooking oil, salt and sugar, which are bad for overall health thus positioning her products.

Admittedly, her business is faced with some challenges that she said bedevil her business profit margin.

She cited shortage of water as a major concern as in times she is forced to buy water.

Again, sometimes her supply overpowers the demand for the day, which forces her to sell her products at discounted prices.

In terms of dreams and aspirations she said there is a growing demand for bakery products especially as the population grows, therefore she sees the increasing market for bakery industry.

She said she intends to expand her business so as to create some more jobs for fellow citizens and to be able to meet the demands of bigger markets like Choppies Store amongst them.

The business world however, she says, is a tough calling hence one should not be money orientated.

Rather she says one should be armed to face struggles and tribunals ahead.

Segomelo says passion, hard work and self-motivation are the key factors to achieving greater things in the world.

She however urged the entrepreneurs and the aspiring ones to do businesses of their dreams saying the love of what you do empowers one to sustain the encountered forces. ENDS