The objective of this field visit was to (1) see the state of young mothers’ businesses, (2) provide coaching to help young mothers generate increased profit, and (3) understand the current life condition of young mothers in business. A mixture of young mothers who are employed and self-employed were visited. Co-facilitators of business training, Michael Leen and Lucy Metha, conducted this field visit.
At each place of business, the young mother completed a questionnaire regarding health of her business. Additionally and when possible, customers were also interviewed. Specific young mothers visited include: Annastazia (employed in a shop that sells local handcrafts), Asha (cooks and sells porridge), Jackline (makes and sells clay flower pots, sews children’s clothing, and runs a vegetable garden), Mariam (runs her own hair salon), and Berina (employed in a hotel and cooks food at a local primary school).
Across the five young mothers visited today, they earn on average TZS 152,000 per month or roughly USD 70.70 (exchange rate: 2150) which is above the average monthly wage for a Tanzanian.