Before joining the “Work Ready Now!” and “Be Your Own Boss,” a youth-oriented entrepreneurship program, Haouaou Harou, was raising and selling chickens to support herself and her family. A 26-year-old mother, Haouaou could barely meet her daily financial needs. 

However, Haouaou has been nourishing a longtime passion for building a plant nursery—work she saw her father doing since she was young.

Laouali Balla, Hadjara /CRS

“When my father was alive, he owned a nursery where he produced and grafted plants and I used to help him whenever I could” she said. So, when she was selected in July 2020 to be part of the Girma’s entrepreneurship program which offers young people training in various agricultural areas, she knew exactly which training option she would choose.

Haouaou decided to seek training in plant nurseries and grafting. She was the only woman out of the nine participants in the field. During her training with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropic, a member of Girma’s consortium, Haouaou learned grafting, assisted natural regeneration, compost and seedling production techniques.

The “Work Ready Now!” and “Be Your Own Boss” program is part of the Girma project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance The program was developed by Girma’s partner, the Education Development Center. It trains young people in the development of life skills, literacy and community services. It encourages youth entrepreneurship by supporting in identifying business ideas, testing market viability and developing business plans. 

Haouaou participated in a four-week training, and was selected to attend an additional two-week training to receive the skills and materials needed to develop and manage a nursery and grafting business.

After the training, Haouaou went back home to Washa to establish her nursery. 

“I produced more than 5,317 moringa, papaya, lemon, guava, zizyphus, sahel apple and neem seedlings since then and sold almost $350 worth of products,” she said. “I used the income from my sales to buy more pots and seeds, pay workers and the rest of the money went into savings, household and social event expenses such as weddings, funerals, food and clothing.”

Haouaou admitted that the first few months of running her business were very difficult. In the beginning, only 10% of the seedlings she grew sold. The research institute advised her to consider a marketing approach, in which she would supply plants to gardeners and in return she will receive 10% of the plants’ produce. The Girma Washa field staff and research institute technician based in Washa put Haouaou in touch with a group of women in her community who produce moringa—a tree that bears long seed pods and is prized for its nutritional value. This allowed her to sell more than 1,250 feet of moringa pods, making more than $200.