Safina, business woman in books

In this vlogumentary we follow Safina, a 20-year-old mother of one who is trained under the Sparked Women project in Uganda to become a micro-entrepreneur. We follow her journey in 4 vlogs by Lydia and Sophy as she grows her business, overcomes challenges and experiences the impact on her life and that of her community.

We see how Safina now benefits from sustainable income and self-confidence, enabling her to take less risks when it comes to HIV prevention and to access health services when needed.

Meeting Safina

Vlog 1 - After dropping out of school due to lack of tuition fees, Safina started dating a man and got pregnant, after which the man abandoned her. She found a job as a teacher but resigned when found out that she could not sustain herself and her daughter with the meagre income she made with it. She abstains from sex and has not been seeing any men since her husband left her. Safina wishes to have a sufficient income to better care for her daughter. Meet Safina!

Safina sees opportunities in making books

Vlog 2 - When the Sparked Women project came to her community, Safina was excited to learn making books. On her way to the market to sell her books, she found her first customer who bought a dozen. It made her so happy and gave her the courage to continue with her business. Safina is confident her business will grow to a big company and an appealing name for it is crucial. What is the name Safina gave her bookmaking business?

Safina’s business is getting low

Vlog 3 - Safina has a lot of customers as students were reporting back to school. After this however business was low. It was a challenge for Safina to cover medical costs for her daughter who had fallen sick. She was tempted to ask money from men in return for sex but managed not to doso. Instead she came up with another solution to revive her business. What did she decide to do?

Safina’s self-esteem boosted

Vlog 4 - Safina moved in with her sister in Kampala a few months ago and restarted her book business from there. Whereas in her hometown she lost customers due to delay in getting materials, in Kampala it is much easier to access materials. Her sales keep on growing and Safina is not attracted anymore to men who want to give her money and runs less risks to contract HIV. She learned to earn her own money. What is her future dream?

The vloggers

Four ambitious and talented girls have been trained as vloggers for this project. Meet the vlog girls

Safina's journey in 2 minutes

In case you lack time to watch all: this vlog summarizes Safina's four vlogs in 2 minutes. We follow her as she grows her business, overcomes challenges and experiences the impact on her life and that of her community.