Hard work, determination pay for Chide

Chipiliro Chide, a humble young lady from Mofati Village, Traditional Authority Kanduku in Mwanza, is innovative and on the path to creating employment opportunities for the loafing Malawians some day.

At 23, Chide is already an accomplished entrepreneur.

She owns Chide’s Restaurant and Take Away at Chinamwali Trading Centre in Zomba.

Chide is among 30 young women who benefitted from the technical and financial support from a Blantyre-based organiSation—Young Enterprise (YE).

With funding from the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad) and Spanish Fund for African Women’s Empowerment Project, YE is equipping out-of-school girls with business management skills to enable them to actively participate in the economic activities in their localities.

The organisation also provides start-up capital to beneficiaries to enable them to venture into small-scale income generating initiatives of their choice.

Chide chose the restaurant business, which was in line with the hotel and catering trade she studied at Ecom Vocational Training Institute (EVTI) in Blantyre.

The road to her success hasnot been without challenges and disappointments.

Chide is an embodiment of women who got married not out of will, but merely to fill the financial gap in her life.

Upon completing his secondary education at Ntenjera Community Day Secondary School in Blantyre, Chide went ahead to study agriculture at Stephanos Vocational Training Centre, a few kilometres from Lunzu Trading Centre.

She, however, dropped out as fast as she enrolled at the college.

“My parents couldn’t manage the fees. So, I decided to unburden them by dropping out to get married. That’s how I am being found in marriage and a mother [to a one-and-a half year old boy] at this tender age,” she explained.

Though she dropped, but Chide could not stop looking beyond the family horizon.

“During my school days, I dreamed that I would be an employer one day. And when I was preparing to marry, I prayed that God should give me an understanding husband who would let me venture into business so that I could achieve my dreams,” she narrated.

Chide is grateful that God granted her prayer. Steven Chide, her husband, is considerate as well as supportive in all her undertakings.

“I know some men wouldn’t let their wives go out of their sight for such a long period. But I did it having considered the benefit the course would have on our family,” Steven said.

Chide successfully completed her course in April 2013 and YE went ahead to lend her K300 000 in July 2013 with which she opened a restaurant at Matawale Trading Centre, Zomba.

But it was not long before the restaurant proved to be too small to accommodate the increasing number of her clientele. This forced her to relocate to Chinamwali Trading Centre in February, 2014.

Her relocation was not without a cost, though. Chide lost most of her reliable customers.

“It was like I’m starting it all over again. And that wasn’t easy at all.

Every day, I made losses almost because customers wouldn’t trust my catering services,” she confessed.

Chide, however, stood resolute, believing that things would change one day.

And true to her belief, her perseverance has paid off.

She is now one of the few restaurant owners at Chinamwali who are making steady progresses in their businesses at the trading centre.

With determination, vision and focus, Chide is now making history, not just at the trading centre, but in Mofati Village back home as well as she is the first woman to return to school while in marriage.

“I’m very proud of her because she has set a very good example for others to follow, not only in my village, but Mwanza district and beyond,” said Village Head Mofati.

Chide said after repaying the loan, she would like to build a lodge where she would be able to employ people into different positions such as chefs, waiters and waitresses, guards and bartenders.

“I believe that my dream will come true one day no matter how difficult frustrations and disappointments may be. I’m determined to achieve my dreams,” she emphasised.