Hand-Stitched Appliqué Baby Clothes
Affectionately called a “gogo” (grandmother), Francinah maintains a youthful vigor and is determined not to slow down. She dreams of growing her business to include a wide variety of products.
A microloan from Paradigm Shift program enabled Francinah to purchase the raw materials she needed to stock an inventory of her products. Now, she can fill orders much faster without having to rely on a customer deposit.
Francinah is a natural leader in her community. Affectionately called a “gogo” (grandmother), she is a source of inspiration and encouragement to other entrepreneurs and volunteers in the Paradigm Shift program. Despite her senior status, Francinah maintains a youthful vigor and says, “I don’t want to be left behind when others are running. I want to run with them.
Francinah started her shoe-making business after seeing someone else in her community selling similar products. She bought a spool of yarn and a tool for crocheting and, with a bit of instruction from a friend, learned how to make shoes. The quality of her craftsmanship is evidence that Francinah takes great pride in her work. Furthermore, she is always happy to teach others her skill.
Francinah has gained the confidence to continue building her business through the Paradigm Shift business training at Weltevreden Chapel (link to South Africa Partners). The record-keeping techniques she learned have helped her calculate the profit she earns from each pair of shoes she sells. Prior to the Paradigm Shift program, Francinah only made shoes when she received an order because she relied on each customer’s deposit to purchase raw materials. However, with the microloan she received, she was able to buy materials to make shoes to have in stock.
Francinah dreams of growing her business to produce a wider variety of shoes. She hopes to get larger orders from shoe stores so that she will be able to hire other members of her community as employees, providing employment to at least a few of many who are in need.
As a result of the Paradigm Shift discipleship trainings, Francinah says that she has experienced God’s love for her. As she deals with the pain of the death of her daughter, Francinah feels God comforting her. In response to God’s love, for the first time in her life, Francinah has begun tithing regularly.
Based on her life experience, Francinah has a lot to teach others, yet she remains a life-long learner. She continues to participate in the Paradigm Shift trainings in order to grow her business and serve as an example to other entrepreneurs in her community. According to her, the Paradigm Shift program is “showing me what I am and what God has created me to be.”
Now you can make it possible for an entrepreneur like Francinah to participate in the Paradigm Shift program. Click here
