My name is Hassana, and I am a 38-year-old woman from Maiduguri, Borno State. I am the last child of a family of eight children. My mum had seven children while my father’s second wife had one. I only had an Islamic education, and my parents married me off when I was 15 years old to a man from Tirwun Community in Bauchi State, on whom I was totally dependent to provide all my needs.
I am the first wife of my husband and a mother of eight children. We all live with my husband and his second wife in the same house.
Searching for Stability
I lived with my husband and children in Yaldin Buni community in Maiduguri, Borno State for many years until seven years ago when we returned to my husband’s village, Tirwun community in Bauchi State, due to the Boko Haram insurgency.
During the crisis in Borno State, I lost my elder sister. She was married to a Boko Haram fighter. One day, aggrieved villagers dragged her out from her home to an unknown destination, and I never heard from her again.
The impact of the crisis left me frustrated and traumatized for many years. My husband lost almost everything - livestock, farm produce, and much more.
We moved to Bauchi State with the help of the state government but life became unbearable with nowhere to start from. During the time of severe hardship, I had to sometimes beg from neighbors and work in farms to be able to feed my family.
Later, my husband’s family gave him plots of land, which he started farming for rice and corn for family consumption. It took my husband almost two years before he could get back on his feet.
Living under the same roof with my husband’s second wife has been a difficult life. She always complains about my children to get at me, and our husband always advises that I remain patient.
I had been struggling to keep up with life financially. I would fry peanuts and give them to my children to sell since my husband does not allow me to go out.
On days when they need to help us sell and earn money for the family, my children can’t attend school. Though my husband usually brings food home, there are usually little or no ingredients at all to add to the food, so the little money I earn from my business goes into buying household cleaning agents and seasoning or ingredients for the food. Aside from helping sell peanuts, my children still didn’t have the necessary books and other required tools to help them learn better in school and this has slowed down their learning process.
Knowing our financial struggles and with husband’s approval, I learned how to make bags and bedsheets so that I could contribute towards my children's education.
But unfortunately, I had no start-up capital for my intended business. My brother, who understood my financial situation, gave me N11,000 that I used to buy a sewing machine. I used the sewing machine to patch old clothes for a fee and had been earning between N500-N600 a month, which had been of immense benefit to me and my family.
First Steps at Women for Women International
I heard about Women for Women International from my community head, who told women to assemble on a given day. My husband gave me and his second wife permission to go to Women for Women International to learn about the program. I showed interest in the program and fortunately, I was enrolled.
Joining the Women for Women International program has been such an immense blessing as I have been transformed totally.
Before, I did not spend time with other women besides my co-wife but since joining the program I now totally understand the power of women working together. The topic on Women’s Solidarity totally changed my perspective: Alone, I cannot achieve much but together, we can achieve more with ease.
Knowing this, I decided to join a savings group where each woman contributes N200.00 monthly and the bulk sum is shared among those who want to invest it in their business, with a 5% interest monthly rate. This has helped many of us in the group to raise business start-up capital and for others, helped them expand their business.
Growing up, I never had the opportunity to attend school and I knew that to be successful in business, I had to know basic arithmetic. So, I joined the numeracy skill training class to learn how to write, add, multiply and subtract. I can now write from 1 to 100!
This means a lot to me because gradually, I am now becoming more literate by the day. In addition, my business skills have greatly improved with the training I received. I can now confidently calculate every expense I incur before affixing prices to easily determine my profit in tune with the current market price of the materials used. This was another hurdle I successfully crossed in actualizing my dream.
With the permission of my husband, I saved my three months stipends from the program — which amounted to N10,000.00 — and collected a loan of N2,000.00 from my savings group to start the business of sewing bedsheets, bags and purses.
The entire amount was spent on buying materials for the bedsheets which I sold for N14,000 to my in-laws. Within two months, I made and sold eight bedsheets at the cost of N7,000 and over 10 bags and purses at the cost of N500.00 and N100.00 each.
My business grew rapidly with good record keeping of all my sales. My daughter usually helps me write the names of customers who buy goods on credit and ticks off the names of those who pay. Experience has taught me not to give out goods on credit to everyone who asks but only to trusted customers who will not default on payment.
It has been a worthwhile experience learning how to win customers over and surviving challenges from my competitors through good customer service, fair prices, adding value to my product to attract buyers, etc. Whenever I intend to expand my business in future, I now have adequate knowledge of where to access loans – banks, savings groups, friends or relatives; however, I also know I must ensure that I know the conditions attached to any loan to determine if it will help my business expansion before taking a loan.
My family has also greatly benefited too from my learnings and they have been witnesses to my daily progression. I practice good sanitation by cleaning the drainages and clearing the grass around my house, which has drastically reduced mosquitoes and flies in the house. I have adopted the habit of making sure my family consumes more vegetables, fruits and water in addition to the balanced diet I prepare. For example, I add soya beans and peanut to the akamu (fermented cereal pudding) we eat so we aren’t only eating carbohydrates. My children are healthier and happier than they used to be.
Since my financial status has greatly improved with my business success, I have gained more respect from my husband and neighbors.
An Invisible, International Enemy
When trainings were on hold because of the outbreak of coronavirus in Nigeria, I sincerely missed going to classes as the program is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It felt like I was going to a university program, but I also understand that putting the program on hold was for our own safety and to curtail the spread of the virus. However, I really appreciated the awareness trainings we had from our trainer on preventive measures and handwashing techniques.
The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe affected me negatively and put untold fear in me. My fear magnified when the Bauchi State Governor and other undisclosed persons from the state tested positive for the virus. Suddenly, I started coughing and having headaches, and I was inundated with frequent thoughts that I had been infected whenever I remembered that the virus can easily spread from one person to the other. I had many sleepless nights crying and worrying that I had infected my family members. But thankfully, I became better and later, totally healed of the feverish symptoms.
The COVID situation also affected my income. My fried peanut business was put on hold for lack of patronage. Also, people no longer came to patch their torn clothes as everything was at a standstill. I couldn‘t sew bedsheets, handbags and purses because I have not gone to the market to buy the materials.
Neither was I able to sell the goods I make at home because I was practicing social distancing and would not endanger my family or myself. Because of our lessened income, our family only ate twice a day, in the morning and evening, and my younger children would cry for more food.
I have been adhering to the teachings of my trainer by regularly handwashing with soap and clean water. I also try as much as possible to avoid touching my eyes, nose and mouth, though sometimes I forget.
My children and I avoided going to crowded places such as markets, hospital visits, weddings and naming ceremonies. However, my biggest challenge was that my husband wouldn't follow the simple rules of staying safe. He would argue with me whenever I reminded him of the importance of practicing these rules, interrupting me to say that I do not trust God to protect me or that I have taken upon myself His responsibility.
I also had trouble managing my friends. One of them called me on phone to express her displeasure with me for not attending the naming ceremony of her newborn child. I tried explaining to her the dangers of hosting people in her house at this time, but she would not listen and has stopped answering my calls since then. I hope she will someday understand my intentions for her safety and mine were genuine.
In the midst of hunger and hardship, I discovered that face masks were in high demand and though I had never sewn a face mask before, I was determined to give it a try.
Using the face masks my husband bought as samples, I was able to get the pattern right on my first try. Immediately, I made up my mind to make a few more pieces out of some fabric I had at home. Once done, I sold all the face masks to my close neighbors with remarkable success and I found it unbelievable that some of my neighbors living farther out also came around to buy from me. But I had run out of the 13 pieces I made.
With renewed energy, I purchased more materials for the masks on one of the days the state government permitted us to go the market. I spent N2,800.00 on the materials (fabric, elastic rubber, thread, and transport) and then sold them at N100.00 each, making a total of N4,600.00. I made a N1,800 profit! This spurred me to continue with the face mask business.
Resources and Resilience During Crisis
My new business took yet another new turn when Women for Women International paid me my training stipend. I spent half of it on food items for the family while the other half was invested in my face mask business and I began producing large quantities.
With proper guidance from Women for Women International, I switched from using nylon to using cotton materials for the face masks because they were safer. Then I found some shops that I could supply masks to, boosting my income so that we could feed well at home despite the massive rise in the prices of foodstuffs.
In-person trainings resumed after two months break due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and I was so happy to see my ‘sisters’ in class again.
The End of One Journey and the Start of a New One
This is my final month in Women for Women International program and so far, I can only say that I now have a “reformed life.”
The program exposed me to new ideas and I have changed my life for the better. I am financially stable! I can now take care of most of my financial needs without much struggle.
As life resumed after the COVID-19 lockdown, my business became more lucrative as I have started making and selling bedsheets again. I now have new customers place orders for bedsheets from as far as Maiduguri, Borno, and Gombe States.
Additionally, I joined a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) and a savings circle group, which have been immensely beneficial. With our recent VSLA cash share-out, my contributions and interest amounted to N14,200.00, which I reinvested into my bedsheet business.
Another important lesson I’ve used from my vocational skill trainings is about the ‘Diversification of Business.’ This has helped me balance my cash inflow, especially when demand for one of my products is low but another is in high demand. All I need to do is switch to producing more of what’s in high demand.
Furthermore, after the training on Women’s Rights and the Law, I am more aware, strong, and very confident. It is a hugely satisfying to learn that women have same rights as men. This realization was eye-opening and greatly increased my self-confidence. I now partake in my family decision-making and can confidently speak in public.
Recently, I told my husband about my desire to start attending adult education to add to my present knowledge, especially to learn to read and write.
He did not argue with me but suggested that I start the school after graduating from the program so that I can properly balance my responsibilities and do my best.
My relationship with my husband’s second wife has greatly improved as we no longer have arguments over our children. I have learned to respect her the way she is without any expectations and surprisingly, she has started to respect me in return and love my children more. We both go out for public events and the market, too.
My husband also joined Women for Women International’s Men’s Engagement Program, and it has greatly changed his life as he now treats me and my co-wife with more respect. He now asks for our opinions before making decisions and has been actively involved in ensuring proper family hygiene by clearing the grass around the house and drainages. He spends most of his time at home with us and the children when he comes back from the farm.
During our trainings on ‘Health and Wellness,’ I was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, and received a prescription for some medicine. I was heartened when the doctors advised my husband on the dangers of not addressing the disease as a family (my husband, co-wife, and myself).
At first, my husband insisted that he does not have any symptoms of the disease and I should go ahead and treat myself, but after a serious talk with him, he agreed and the three of us went to the Bauchi State Specialist Hospital, where we were all treated.
I have made friends in the program, both from my group and other groups. My best friend from the program is Daiyiba. We share ideas and encourage each other all the time. She has been an immense pillar of support. Daiyiba always reminds me of the values we have learned in the program and constantly reminds me of the importance of pursing my goals without losing focus.
After graduation, I intend to start a new business selling grains with money from my savings group circle and using three
months training stipend, which amounts to about N28,000.00. I plan to store the grains in December, when farmers harvest and market prices are low. Then I will sell my stores around March or April, when their prices increase.
And then of course, I will be starting my adult education as soon as I graduate from the program.
I sincerely want to thank Women for Women International for giving me the opportunity for a new and transformed life. My life will never be the same again.
I want you to know that henceforth, I am taking personal responsibility towards my children’s education, the girls especially. I am so grateful for the grains and supplies provided to help us make it through the COVID-19 pandemic. The medicine was a huge surprise and the impact of this support on my family has been huge and ongoing.
I pray that God will continue to bless the organization and take her to greater heights, so that other women, too, will experience a new life.
