In the words of Amina Mahmoud: "I grasbed the opportunities I had in life, and did not miss out on happiness"

As a young girl living in a rural village, Amina’s life path had been laid out for her. But she had another vision of the life she wanted to lead. She decided to pursue her college education and even start her own business, which led her to the programme.

“I’m a very persistent girl and I care less about what people say as long as I’m on the right track. My father wanted me to follow in the footsteps of most of my peers. That is, to only complete intermediate education and get married. But I insisted on going to high school. He would submit my admission file to the secondary vocational school in the village and I would retrieve and submit it to the high school instead. We went back and forth like this seven times until he gave up, yielding to my choice. To his surprise, I graduated high school with honours, went on to college and I just graduated this year. But when I wanted to start working - while studying, it wasn’t a piece of cake. Of course, my father did not agree immediately. For him, girls should stay home rather than go out to work. I could ask him for anything I needed, and he would provide it for me. Yet, I dreamed of earning my own money and being able to buy whatever I need – most importantly to help out with my college expenses. So, I kept trying to convince him until he gave in on that too. With the cash I earned through the programme, I was able to rent a small shop next to our house and I started running it all by myself.

People kept demotivating me, saying that it was too much for me to handle on my own and that I should not take such a big risk. But I listened to no one. I had a dream and a goal in life, and I was determined to achieve it. I started selling sanitary pads, soaps, detergents, and makeup and accessories. Bit by bit, I started stocking more products and my shop was full.

By then, those who doubted me in the beginning wanted to join me as partners. My life is so much easier now and a hundred times better. I can get whatever I want. I can buy myself as many clothes and shoes as I need. I can even help out at home, if my father allows it. I think back with pride to the days when I wouldn’t have a penny in my pocket and couldn’t even afford transportation to college.

I am grateful for the choices I made and the business I started, which enabled me not only to complete my university studies but to go on a college trip. And best of all, my father joined me in celebrating my graduation ceremony and this is a day I will never forget. I’m glad because I grasped the opportunities I had in life and did not miss out on happiness. I proved to my father that I can succeed and accomplish anything that I want. Now, he is very proud of me and even consults me on his decisions and all family matters.”