By Pauline Luba
In 2020, Micheline Ugara Mazo’s father was involved in an accident that left her facing financial difficulties. Aside from losing her mother, Mazo also faced neglect from her family, and had to learn to fend for herself at a young age.
At 9 years old, Mazo collected and sold mangoes in the market to get money to pay her school fees. “My father is a farmer, so we always had fruits at home to sell,” said Mazo, ” so I collected a few and went to sell them on my own.”
She was admired by foreigners for her boldness and friendly nature, which got her regular customers.
“My friends would often ask if I felt embarrassed. But I never felt any shame. I liked the adventure and continued to do so without shame, “says Mazo.
Mazo, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, joined Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2017.
She obtained a degree in research and policy making at an undergraduate level from the university and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same course as well.
When she first came to Uganda, not even her brothers sent her money. She recalls the time one of them sent her Shs. 20,000 and immediately expressed regret in doing so.
“I needed to find a way to support myself aside from my father,” Mazo highlighted.
As an undergraduate student, Mazo first sold food items such as noodles, sweets, and biscuits in the hall of residence before switching to selling coats, a business she started in the second semester of her second year back in 2020.
Having wanted something more original, Mazo took Ugx 1,000,000/= from her savings at the time and invested in this business. She now earns Ugx 300,000/= per week on average.
The cost ranges from Ugx 35000 to Shs.50,000 depending on the quality. ” I like the coat I bought from her. It’s black and has good fabric. UCU tends to get very cold and it really saves me during that period,” said Immaculate Auma, a journalism student at the university.
Besides the affordability of the coats, she allows her customers to pay in installments since her client base is mainly university students.
This has proved a challenge for her. Some clients do not pay on time, yet she has already given them the coats. She remains persistent in getting such customers to pay their debts.
Mazo has also encountered the challenge of preference in her business. There was a time when people only desired coats in certain colors, like black, grey, and navy blue. This made things difficult because her stock at the time consisted of many different colors, which meant it was not selling well.
