Fatma Ahmed Karama

Fatma Ahmed Karama, 30, learnt how to do business at a very early age. While her step mother sold food stuff like potatoes and bajia, she too got involved in the selling. Her father was an employee at sonara budha since then. She studied until form three whereby she dropped out due to lack of sponsorship for her fees. She thereafter got married and got two children but unfortunately was separated from her husband after a while.

Fatma decided to use the business talent she has and ventured into business. She was selling anything that could be sold; from clothes, to shoes, to food stuff and even worked as a land agent. Being a single parent, she had to be independent and work hard to feed and bring up her children. She thereafter worked in a bookshop for five years. Her brother, seeing his sister struggling, decided to help her with a loan of 200,000 Kshs to start her own business. Since she had experience with bookshop she decided to open up her own. The fact that there is no other bookshop in the area and is surrounded by schools, the business was going on quite well.

However, her small photocopy machine failed one day and her uncle suggested that she approaches KYBT for a loan. Fatma came to talk to the panel and request for help. As much as she was tense, she had faith that she will get the assistance she needed. After receiving the loan, she bought a larger photocopy machine and re-stocked her bookshop. She considers Mr. Swaleh Nuwein of the KYBT mentor team as her true mentor for he knows how to communicate and how to inspire them on business.

Fatma had the support from her family for her personal business and she admits that it is a very great feeling to be your own boss. She doesn’t find it difficult to balance between her business and motherhood for she believes that what is yours remains yours and you have to dedicate your life to it. Currently Fatma is re-married and expectant yet she still is going up and down to make her business boom.

Her short term goal is to open another bookshop by the next elections at Mlaleo area which is also surrounded by several schools yet lacks a bookshop around. As for her long term goal, is to open several other branches and be fully independent.

Fatma is very grateful for the help KYBT offers to youth who are struggling. Her advice to the youth is that they should be very patient and pray to God always to help them succeed.