Empowering Communities Through VSLA - Success story of Awiel Magot

Awiel Jok in her shop

Awiel Jok Magot, 27, is a mother of three children; aged 5, 3, and 2 years old sons. She runs a small-scale business in Hai Machuwar Market, in Bor County. Awiel dropped out of school in primary seven, and she decided to get married in 2015 due to peer influence. Unfortunately, her marriage life was short lived as she lost her husband last year. The lack of support from her in-law’s side forced Awiel to leave her matrimonial home and return to her parent’s house. Together with her children Awiel lives in her parent’s house with six other siblings. “I moved to my father’s house after my husband died due to long illness in 2020.” she says.

With nowhere to run to, her father was the only hope. While at the parent’s house, Awiel got all the support she needed. First, she was introduced to a small business of selling chewing gum to generate some income, she started with just two packets of chewing gum. With the proceeds from the chewing gum, she bought powdered mango juice and started her juice business strategically targeting bicycle and motorbike riders in the market. From the juice business, Awiel saved up to 200,000 SSP equivalent of 500 USD, which she used to purchase a refrigerator, iron sheets and constructed her own shop.

Awiel was later introduced to CARE’s VSLA project by a friend in 2018. She immediately joined “Door VSLA” which means “Peace”, in Anyidi Payam, Bor County. Awiel started saving and took her first loan from the group which she then injected into her business and stocked commodities in her shop, which is slowly expanding, with increased earnings up-to date. Despite the expansion of her shop, Awiel still continues to supply her juice to traders and customers in Pakwau market. She also supplies to Ajah Diing health center and to a school in Bor town, daily. At the end of the month, she earns a profit worth 85,000 SSP. In addition to the juice business, she makes sales from the mixed goods which earns her approximately 300,000 SSP (750 USD) monthly which she now deposits in her account in Bor town.

As years pass by, Awiel now looks back at her struggles and successes and attributes her success to her father’s support who rendered it when she needed it most. “Challenges may be very tough, but they have taught me to work hard to generate income to provide food, medical care and education for my children and also support my parents.” Having a father who is caring about my welfare, education since childhood, and yet still takes care of me during my weakest point as an adult by introducing me to business, makes me very happy. This is a wake-up call to a journey of self-reliance. All I can say is I wish my father long life.”

The struggle continues for Awiel as in the coming future she has plans of building a permanent structure for her shop. She says, “I want to buy a plot of land to construct a permanent shop, I plan to build a good house, so that I can move out of my parents’ home and be independent. I will continue to support my children to study in the best schools in Bor town.”

CARE trained VSLA members like Awiel on VSLA approaches, methodologies, savings, record keeping, business and financial management, planning, marketing, customer care and linking them with market traders all aimed at building sustainable livelihoods. The VSLA’s were supported under the Addressing Root Causes of Conflict (ARC) project, which seeks to address underlying root causes of conflict in Jonglei, with the aim of fostering economic recovery and positive peace and development through building economic resilience and livelihoods of communities, promoting peaceful dialogue, conflict resolution and inter-ethnic social cohesion.