Our good friend, ba Kelvin, stopped by our house today to tell us that he has moved from our village, Chebele, where he was raised, to Lukwesa, another small town in Mwense District about 35km from Mwense boma. Kelvin is single, about 23 years old, finished Grade 12 a couple years ago, speaks great English, and is very intelligent. Despite all these fine characteristics, he did not score well enough on his exams to be admitted into college, the main path to formal employment. So, he has moved to Lukwesa and started his own business selling secondhand clothing, called “salaula” here in Zambia.
He is doing surprisingly well: he confided in us that he's bringing in 1 million Zkw a week ($200 USD), 300,000 – 500,00 ($60 – 100 USD) of which is “profit”. By “profit”, he means revenue above all expenses, excluding his own labor; like many small businesses in Zambia, he does not consider his own labor as an expense. That said, he's making more money than a Peace Cirps Volunteer earns from his stipend, which is commeasurate with what a school teacher earns.
Kelvin earns his money by travelling to Lusaka where he buys secondhand clothing from mostly Chinese, Indian and Zambian merchants at Kamwala Market. Kamwala Market is the huge open-air market in Lusaka where all manner of goods are exchanged. Kelvin visits different “salaula” merchants there and picks out clothing he thinks the people of Lukwesa and Mwense will want to buy. He spends about 500,000 to 700,000 ($100 – 140 USD) on clothing- shirts, dresses, skirts, trousers, shoes, etc. Then, he transports his merchandise up to Lukwesa (by Peace Soldier or Juldan buses), where he sells the clothing at the Lukwesa market. His customers are mostly fellow Zambians who live in Lukwesa and nearby villages, Mwense boma (the capital of Mwense District) and Kazembe. He also has a large Congolese customer base who cross the border (the Luapula River) at Lukwesa to purchase goods for less than they cost in DR Congo. These Congolese customers either use the items for themselves or they turn around and sell them for a profit in DR Congo.
I find this story of Kelvin's recent success very encouraging- as does he!- because Kelvin comes from a large, poor, not-politically-connected family in an impoverished rural village. Just eight months ago, after he did not get into the trade college in Mansa, he seemed to have resigned himself to being “just a farmer”- his words.- as that was the only other way of life he'd been exposed to. However, now he's widened his view and his perception of what's possible for him.
I think the secret to Kelvin's ambition, creativity and success comes from his father. Kelvin's father, ba Godfrey, is a pioneering and committed fish farmer in Chebele. He is quick to take on modest experiments with new income-generating farming practices (like conservation farming, rice farming, fish farming and beekeeping) and then scale them up as he sees their profitability. He is also one of the few fathers ensuring every one of his 7 living children are educated through Grade 12, which means he works very seriously to raise money for school fees. He is faithful to his wife and family, abstains from alcohol (“problem” drinking is an underaddressed issue in Zambia), and is constantly seeking information about nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention, sanitation and other issues that ail the community.
I look at Kelvin's budding entrepreneurship and see an evolution of ba Godfrey's diligent commitment to build a better life for his children. This, along with his positivity, is the foundation Kelvin, consciously or not, has used to build his business. He is not hindered by obstacles, but encouraged to find alternative opportunities. Starting his salaula business is a case in point- rather than giving up on a career when he could not get into college, he has created his own employment- and found himself on a path that could potentially bring more prosperity and freedom than working for someone else would.
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| Our friend, budding entrepreneur ba Kelvin, with his newly purchased merchandise. We are inside the very nice shop he rents in Lukwesa. |
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