Young Life in Freetown | Small Business Owners
Many people sustain their lives through small business ventures. In Freetown, young people are starting their own businesses with little capital.
Christiana Coker sells medicine around the city. One of her products is Kofsil, which is good for whooping cough and sore throats. She also sells Alafia Bitters for Le2, 000. Bitters are a tonic used as a cure-all for malaria, constipation, body aches, and pains.
Christiana has a permit to sell drugs issued by the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone. The board is a regulatory agency and it ensures the protection of public health. As a legal vendor, Christiana is able to advise her customers on the right dose for children and adults, and possible effects on the body.
She said business is not always good. Sometimes she doesn’t make any sales because there are a lot of other vendors so there’s always competition. She has been trading for two years and makes about Le200, 000 a week. Her taxes average Le5, 000 each month. Christiana is a single mother of two and her small business is her only source of income.
“It isn't enough but I'm grateful I don't sit around idling," she said.
Twenty-three-year-old Adisa Kallon sells fast food at a local school. Her menu includes fried plantains, sausages, fried chicken, deep-fried chicken gizzards, and omelets. The plantains, sausages, and gizzards are sold at Le500 a piece. Chicken breasts and legs go for Le3, 000 apiece. Each loaf of bread is sold at Le500.
Adisa has been in business for a year. Trade she said is brisk because most of the students buy her food. She spends about Le50, 000, buying ingredients from the market in Calaba Town and makes Le80, 000 per day from her fried foods. She pays Le30, 000 in taxes to the school every month. Her only responsibility is herself and her rent, which is Le200, 000 a month.
"I want to make more money so that, all my dreams can come true," she said.
Hindolo Murray is a prepaid airtime reseller. Using his mobile money, he spends about Le200, 000 daily buying Airtime vouchers and sells SierraTel, Airtel, and Africell credit from his cellphone. He makes roughly Le230, 000 or 250,000 from his airtime transactions. The price of a virtual voucher for each of these mobile phone companies is Le 1, 000.
Sometimes buyers give Hindolo a wrong phone number and then blame him when they don’t receive an SMS with their airtime. This creates unnecessary losses for him, he said. There are many other prepaid airtime resellers on the streets. So business is slow. Hindolo moves around town looking for people to buy his airtime vouchers. He pays tax every month at le5, 000.
"I want to generate enough money so I can open a big store. Becoming a successful businessman is my dream and I’ve just started realizing it," he said.
Small businesses help but they can be slow with hiccups and heartbreaks.
For Young Life in Freetown, I'm Inyilla Borteh Conteh.
Christiana Coker sells medicine around the city. One of her products is Kofsil, which is good for whooping cough and sore throats. She also sells Alafia Bitters for Le2, 000. Bitters are a tonic used as a cure-all for malaria, constipation, body aches, and pains.Christiana has a permit to sell drugs issued by the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone. The board is a regulatory agency and it ensures the protection of public health. As a legal vendor, Christiana is able to advise her customers on the right dose for children and adults, and possible effects on the body.
She said business is not always good. Sometimes she doesn’t make any sales because there are a lot of other vendors so there’s always competition. She has been trading for two years and makes about Le200, 000 a week. Her taxes average Le5, 000 each month. Christiana is a single mother of two and her small business is her only source of income.
“It isn't enough but I'm grateful I don't sit around idling," she said.
Adisa has been in business for a year. Trade she said is brisk because most of the students buy her food. She spends about Le50, 000, buying ingredients from the market in Calaba Town and makes Le80, 000 per day from her fried foods. She pays Le30, 000 in taxes to the school every month. Her only responsibility is herself and her rent, which is Le200, 000 a month.
"I want to make more money so that, all my dreams can come true," she said.
Hindolo Murray is a prepaid airtime reseller. Using his mobile money, he spends about Le200, 000 daily buying Airtime vouchers and sells SierraTel, Airtel, and Africell credit from his cellphone. He makes roughly Le230, 000 or 250,000 from his airtime transactions. The price of a virtual voucher for each of these mobile phone companies is Le 1, 000.Sometimes buyers give Hindolo a wrong phone number and then blame him when they don’t receive an SMS with their airtime. This creates unnecessary losses for him, he said. There are many other prepaid airtime resellers on the streets. So business is slow. Hindolo moves around town looking for people to buy his airtime vouchers. He pays tax every month at le5, 000.
"I want to generate enough money so I can open a big store. Becoming a successful businessman is my dream and I’ve just started realizing it," he said.
Small businesses help but they can be slow with hiccups and heartbreaks.
For Young Life in Freetown, I'm Inyilla Borteh Conteh.
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