Edith’s Story

Edith’s story is one of courage, humility, and strong personal character. Noticed amongst her community as a leader and go getter, the Business Start-up Training (BST) inspired Golden Goose Fish Group nominated her as Chairlady. Steering the 17-member group (7 men and 10 women) is no small task considering they ventured into an unchartered business of fish farming in a community that survived almost solely on coffee farming.

Edith chairing a fish farming group meeting

Prior to BST training, the married mother of 4 grown children relied on casual jobs and was dependent on her polygamous husband who was rarely around. Edith’s life began to change significantly going through 410’s Business Start-up Training. She abandoned casual jobs on other people’s farms so she could focus on nurturing and taking better care of her farm and livestock, realizing that they too can provide her with an economic lift if managed well.

Edith now earns income from selling kales and other green vegetables from her small farm as well as managing the fish farm on a daily basis. The fish farming group as a whole, regularly commends her for great leadership skills in a community dominated by men in most leadership positions.

Edith feeding the group fish in Tumutumu

Edith’s story of success is one of many we can attribute to the Business Start-up Training in our communities. Economic Development is the foundation of indigenous sustainability. It provides families stability and creates a ripple effect for the entire community. BST is one of the critical programs that The 410 Bridge deploys in our communities to ensure the sustainability of future development programs. Thank you to everyone who made Edith’s story possible!

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