Building a stable future in Illala, TanzaniaJastin Jonas Madebe
Winding up the spiraling ramps of the Ilala Market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania you walk right into Jastin’s calendar and poster shop. A lifelong entrepreneur, Jastin began his career selling clothing along the side of the road, but his income was unstable. Clothing sales fluctuated dramatically season to season, so Jastin couldn’t predict what he would earn each month.
Because he wanted to stabilize his earnings, he decided to shift to a paper goods business, starting from his home with a small inventory. When his business began to grow, he found a space in the local market located just across the street from the Opportunity branch office in Ilala.
A few years ago, he began working with Opportunity, accessing loans to grow his business. Thanks to investments from Opportunity, he now has several successful businesses. In addition to the paper business in Ilala, he also runs a guest house and grocery in his home village of Tabora, where his wife still lives with his two kids.
As the businesses have grown, Jastin has been able to hire neighbors to help him deal with increasing demand. He has two employees at the paper shop and three at the grocery store and hopes to hire more as his businesses continue to grow. When he thinks about his future, his number one goal is to give his kids a good education. As for his business, he would like to register the company and begin sourcing from China where he can access more products at cheaper prices allowing him to continue expanding and providing for his family.