Dare to Discover: Patson’s gateway out of poverty
By Agatha Mali - Communications Officer, Zambia
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At 26 years old, Patson from Chilukulusha in the east of Zambia is already making his dream of becoming a commercial farmer come true. Coming from a family of six, Patson is the first child of his parents and he hopes to lead as an example to his siblings.
After completing his tertiary education in agriculture, Patson was hopeful that he would find employment, but it was not as easy as he thought it would be. “I applied for several openings but nothing positive came out. Waiting for employment was not going to help me in any way, so I realised that I was sitting on my talent and skills gained in school. I needed to do something about it", he says.
Through World Vision’s Dare to Discover programme, Patson received training in entrepreneurship and business management. And it is at this point that Patson realised that he did not have to wait for someone to employ him; he could be his own boss.
After the training, Patson was able to save K450 ($25.00) from his transport refund. And with the same money, he thought of starting up a small business of selling packets of soya chunks to members of the community in his area.
“With the profit I started earning, I decided to start a farming business; I used the money to buy seedlings and grafted plants such as oranges, lemons, and mangoes”, he says.
And within a short time, people have known about Patson's business and he has since grafted at least 130 plants that he sells for (36) $2.00 each. From this business, he hopes to earn a profit of about K4,140 ($230.00).
Patson has also diversified his talent into the crop farming business with the knowledge he attained during his tertiary education. He now owns a piece of land where he has grown a variety of crops such as tomatoes, spinach, onions, English giant rape, eggplants, and peppers, which he also sells to the community members and marketeers.
Hoping for the best and bright future for his young sister through his vegetable sales, Patson has been able to support his parents by providing all the school requirements for his sister's education.
“My dream is to elevate my family for poverty. With the income I earn for my business, I wish to support my sister’s education so that she can also go to college and become the nurse she dreams of becoming”, says Patson, who has also been supporting his mother with money to save in her savings group.
“As long as I attend my lessons every day and pay attention to the instructions, my dreams of becoming a certified tailor and owning my clothes shop will come true,” he concludes, confidently.