Young mother turns child grant into thriving vegetable business

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.