Woven with Resilience: Miriam's Story
Mariam was born with albinism. In parts of Tanzania, harmful beliefs still put people with albinism in danger, and in 2008 Mariam survived an attack that took both of her arms. For years afterward, she lived in fear. Her confidence was gone, along with any belief that she could build something of her own.
Rebuilding
Then an American-Canadian nonprofit arranged for Mariam to travel to Canada and be fitted with prosthetic arms. When she came home, she enrolled in weaving classes. In 2017 she bought her first weaving machine and began making the sweaters she sells today. That work supports her, supports her family, and rebuilt her confidence.
A business worth keeping
By the time Mariam met UBORA’s business mentors, she was ready to close her shop. Supply problems had cut off her yarn, and she had lost two employees. Her sister convinced her to attend a two-day business fundamentals conference led by Alf Rhea of Business Innovations, one of UBORA’s partners. There she learned about seasonality in business, and it gave her the hope to keep going.
She signed up for an on-site consultation. When Alf and the team visited her workshop, they watched her work the weaving machine expertly with her prosthetic arms. She can make 2,000 sweaters a year.
They also spotted a problem. None of the sweaters had a label, so a buyer who loved one had no way to find her again.
Her name on her work
Alf called a business contact in Tanzania, and within weeks a factory sent Mariam 2,000 labels. They carried a brand the team had helped her create, with her phone number printed on each one.
“I believe that through these labels I will be able to access the market and marketing. When people see my sweaters, they will know who is making them and how to get them through my number. Thank you for making them, and I’m so happy.”
Finding her tomorrow
Mariam has since used all 2,000 labels and received 5,000 more for the year ahead. Her business is growing, and one day it may grow enough to hire an UBORA intern of its own. This is the last stage of the UBORA pathway, Launch: business stewardship that helps local enterprise grow and multiply. Mariam’s skill was always there. A little stewardship helped the world see it.
