Meet Annet Nelima: How Two Goats and a Food Kiosk Restored a Widow's Dignity and Sent Her Child to School
After losing her husband, young widowed mother of six Annet Nelima used GVC business training and 300,000 UGX in goat sales to launch a thriving food kiosk, funding school uniform and shoes for her youngest child.
When 31-year-old Annet Nelima lost her husband, her world was shattered. As a young mother of six in Eastern Uganda whose husband had been the sole breadwinner, Annet was left completely stranded without a source of income or savings.
To keep her children alive, she was forced to rely on relatives for basic food and supplies. The dependency brought painful emotional scars—some relatives even began referring to her by the hurtful nickname “beggar.”
One afternoon, while walking to the trading center to ask her brother-in-law for a small amount of money to buy food, Annet ran into her local village chairman. Recognizing her plight, he told her about Global Village Connect’s community development program—a cornerstone of GVC’s mission to help vulnerable families break free from poverty and regain self-reliance.
Deeply determined to change her children’s future, Annet decided to enroll.
Stepping out of the comfort zone
During the training sessions, Annet paid close attention to every lesson. The modules on stepping out of one’s comfort zone and identifying hidden business opportunities resonated deeply with her.
As she reflected on her skills, Annet realized that neighbors had always praised her cooking during community gatherings and local events. Recognizing that market vendors and shoppers at the trading center were constantly looking for affordable, hot meals, she decided to turn her culinary talent into a food kiosk business.
Leveraging assets to launch a kiosk
To raise the startup capital needed to rent a stall and buy ingredients, Annet applied an asset-leveraging strategy taught in the course. She sold two of her family’s goats, raising 300,000 UGX (about $80 USD)—a financial strategy similar to fruit distributor Sam Wabuyi and goat recipient Abed. (Read more about how livestock provides financial safety nets in GVC’s field notes).
With her capital, Annet rented a small cooking space in the heart of the busy trading center, purchased large cooking pots, and bought fresh stock of matoke, rice, beans, and meat.
First-day success, uniforms, and school shoes
Her first morning in business was frightening. Standing over her hot pots, Annet worried whether customers would buy her food.
However, as the lunch hour arrived, the rich aromas attracted dozens of local market vendors and laborers. Annet sold out every single portion, earning 15,000 UGX (about $4.00 USD) in net profit on her very first day. Even more rewarding were the glowing compliments from customers praising her delicious cooking, which gave her a immense surge of confidence.
For months, Annet’s youngest child had been pleading to start school, but Annet had lacked the money for fees and supplies. With her first day’s profit, Annet went straight to the market and bought a brand-new school uniform.
On her second day in business, Annet earned 20,000 UGX (about $5.30 USD) in profit. She used these earnings to buy her child a sturdy pair of school shoes. Overjoyed, her youngest child couldn’t wait for morning to come so they could walk proudly into the classroom at school.
“Before the training, I felt hopeless and ashamed having to ask relatives for food. Today, my cooking feeds my community, my children eat three meals a day, and I can buy their school uniforms with my own hard-earned money.”
— Annet Nelima (shared with GVC’s field team)
Healthier children and big plans for expansion
The transformation in Annet’s household has been profound. Her six children no longer skip meals; Annet now provides three wholesome, nutritious meals every day, and their health has visibly improved.
Annet joins a growing network of successful GVC food and retail entrepreneurs—including donut vendors Florence Nakayibo and Carolyn, charcoal merchant Gladys Muduwa, kiosk owner Edith Namataka, and fresh produce vendor Aida Mugide.
Looking ahead, Annet is saving in a disciplined, structured way. Her goal is to buy even larger commercial cooking pots and expand into a larger dining space at the trading center so she can serve more customers every day.
If you would like to help GVC empower more resilient widows like Annet, please consider visiting our donation page to support our programs.
