Patience Makwele
A 24-year-old mother from the Zambezi region has turned money which she receives from the government as her daughter’s monthly child grant into a thriving vegetable business, using the venture to support her family and challenge perceptions of youth unemployment.
Speaking to Young Observer, Nasilele Kaoma said she started the garden after failing her grade 12, struggling to find employment and feeling discouraged by the way people in her village viewed her.
Instead of giving up, she said in 2024 she used N$100 from the N$250 child grant she received for her daughter to buy vegetable seedlings from a local farmer and planted them in a small backyard garden.
“I was just experimenting. I honestly had no idea it would work,” she said.
Within weeks, the vegetables had matured, attracting villagers who began buying carrots, green peppers and other fresh produce directly from her garden.
As demand grew, Kaoma explained that she decided to expand the project onto a larger piece of land which was once used as a Kraal for cattle behind her home, employing local casual labourers to fence the area before increasing production.
Despite setbacks caused by roaming livestock and occasional water supply challenges, she explained that the business continued to grow.
“It was a challenge because I was now moving from a small garden to a bigger one. I only relied on gardening skills from high school and I faced some challenges like keeping goats and chickens from eating the seedlings and watering because sometimes the water from the tap is little.”
By the end of the first growing season, she recalled that she made an estimate of N$9000.00 through the garden sales.
“For someone who has never been to university, it was a moment of taking pride in my work. I could not believe that I made more than what someone who is working a full time job,” she recalled.
The income allowed her to save towards furthering her education while providing a steady source of income for her household.
Kaoma said the business has also changed how she views unemployment.
“Sometimes say I am unemployed just because I do not work in the office like my peers but I always prove them wrong by saying I do not identify myself as someone who is unemployed anymore because I have a job that pays me 24/7. That’s my small garden,” she said.
She encouraged young people to consider self-employment rather than waiting for formal jobs.
“Do not think that because you failed, it is the end of the world. No one is coming to save you. It’s your responsibility to stand up and become the best version of yourself,” she said.
Kaoma said raising her daughter and being able to support herself and her family as well as locals who buy her veggies remains one of her greatest motivations and hopes her journey will inspire other young people to create opportunities with the resources available to them.
