43-year-old Graceful Chatora is the most sought after tailor in Ward 10 Shurugwi district, thanks to the business acumen she acquired from the Hand in Hand Zimbabwe business development trainings.

The mother of three (3) was fortunate to cross paths with Hand in Hand Zimbabwe soon after she finished a dressmaking course at Melita College in Shurugwi District.

The 6-month long business development training she then received from the organisation enabled her to Identify an opportunity in the fashion industry and she promptly started her tailoring business.

Graceful managed to set up her shop at Chachacha business centre and her services were on demand as a result of her professionalism, amazing ethics and attention to detail.

“I was very fortunate to be trained and mentored by Hand in Hand Zimbabwe.

“When I first joined the organisation, I didn’t know anything about saving money and how to run a business but I am now a proper business woman,” she said.

Graceful Chatora and one of her employees posing for a photo in her shop

With her tailoring business producing massive profits, Graceful decided to increase her streams of income by opening two grocery stores and a boutique at Chachacha business centre and in Ward 13.

Graceful gets an average profit of USD$1300 per month from all these enterprises and she has managed to build a very big house and buy a car from the proceeds.

Her fate has completely changed as she now has 3 employees at her shops.

My vision is to acquire all sorts of heavy-duty machinery for my tailoring business. I want my business to grow until it’s an industrial hub where we train and employ youths,” she said.