At the age of 28, Cristina Constâncio is the owner of a cosmetics and beauty accessories store in the city of Pemba, Cabo Delgado province. Cristiana is married and the mother of a son. She saw her life and business transformed after participating in a WhatsApp training in 2023 with the FTF Premier -Oholo project. This initiative is part of TechnoServe’s efforts to digitize the training process with an emphasis on the use of WhatsApp, with the aim of reducing travel time and giving women more time to look after their families and their businesses.
Before benefiting from the training, one of the challenges Cristina faced was reconciling her business and her family; she couldn’t manage the business and look after her family at the same time, and this situation created discomfort within the couple. The training gave her tools that made managing the business easier, through practices such as decentralizing decisions in the business, which won her husband’s trust, as well as reducing the loss of customers and profits.

I received an invitation from the PRO project to take part in the business management training. I talked it over with my husband, and at first he didn’t feel comfortable. His concern was to understand how I was going to take part in the training, look after the house and run the business. It wouldn’t work. But I shared my concern with the project team, and they told me I could study via WhatsApp. I asked: ‘WhatsApp? Can it work?” To my surprise, it did! I successfully completed the training. My business is growing, and today I count on my husband’s support both in the store and with the housework.” Cristina Constâncio PRO beneficiary

Cristina shares her plans for the future: to have her own establishment, expand the business, ensure a good education for her son and prosper with her husband. Significant changes include her husband’s renewed confidence and investment in the business.

 

Personal and professional transformation

With the changes implemented after the training, Cristina has experienced significant improvements. The division of tasks, family involvement in the business, investments and the realization of her dreams are some of the positive results.

Before, my day started with household chores, delaying the opening of the store. The training has changed that.  Cristina Constâncio.

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