In their quest to earn decent incomes and improve their lives, seven (7) youth from Chirumhanzu district have successfully set up a lucrative detergent-making enterprise.

According to one of the group members Ruvarashe Zimuto (34), their prospects of a bright future had dimmed as they did not have any source of income but a silver lining only appeared two years later when they heard about the Hand in Hand Zimbabwe Motivated and Entrepreneurial Youth (MEY) Project.

“We struggled to pay rent and cater for the needs of our families. We felt helpless as we failed to support our husbands who tried to provide for us with the little income they got.

“In a bid to fight off poverty, we ventured into different enterprises hoping to generate income that would be sufficient for our households but it was all in vain as we lacked knowledge on business management.

After joining Hand in Hand Zimbabwe in February 2020, Rujeko Star Club members went through trainings on health, motivation and entrepreneurship and were inspired to venture into detergent making.

“The business training was very helpful and insightful for us as young women. We are now working towards a better future for us and our families as we can now run a profitable business,” Ruvarashe said.

To date, the Star Club is running a successful detergent-making business that produces dishwashing liquid, toilet cleaner and foam bath.

They produce 100ltrs of each detergent per month and they package it in 500ml to 750ml bottles.

After deducting money for monthly business expenses, each member receives an income of USD$75 per month.

Recently the young women had an opportunity to be linked to a market, through a 2-day market fair conducted in Mvuma town and as a result, they supplied a locally based supermarket called Saru with 48 bottles of liquid soap.

They are hoping to penetrate large markets such as Spar, OK and Pick Pay within the Midlands province.

“Our aim as a group is to expand our market base as we are tirelessly searching for much bigger and lucrative markets,” Ruvarashe said.