My name is Tina Phiri and I live in the Copperbelt town of Zambia. I live in Chikola Be township. I went to Twatasha Primary School where I did Primary School. My childhood life was so hard because I grew up with a single mother who was just a marketeer, selling some goods on the market or sometimes in street of town just earn some money to help us send school and for home consumption. Hence being raised by a single parent was not easy at all because sometimes we could go without food or just having one single meal a day. My mother was hustler all the time to ensure that I went to went school and completed by primary school and obtained a school certificate and I was selected for secondary school to and study at Buyantanshi Secondary School in Chingola town. Therefore, I persevered despite all the challenges I went through until I finished my secondary school with excellent results that earned a scholarship to study nursing and at Levy Mwanawasa University in Lusaka. I went to the University on Scholarship basis and graduated successfully. This how I came to achieve important goals in my life by pressing so hard in my education to see the light once again in this life.

I grew up in mining town and most people work in the mines and others do different types of businesses.

What is unique mostly is the land is Mining industry , where we see explosive things, big trucks, tippers, or may say a lot of activities because that is where most people to their work in the town of Chingola Copperbelt and the open pit mine is known to produce pure copper, gold and cobalt .

My hobbies I love watching football, singing, travelling and swimming at my own free time

I have a shop at main market and I am involved in tailoring and designing all types of clothing. I say so because I sew school uniform for all the school especially government school and a few private schools in town. I sew school uniforms, school jersey, trousers for men, dresses for women and ladies, I sew head socks for children, traditional wear, kitchen party wears, wrappers for ladies and men's suits and shirts. All the items I have mention are of high value according the orders I receive from different clients. I choose this type of business because I earn a lot of money every day, which in return am able to pay school fees for my children, able to afford three meals a day and home improvements such as buying house furniture and other things through profits generated from the business. However, my typical costs mainly is on the industrial machines, each machine cost me K 30,000, for sewing and for broidering to ensure that my work is done on time to satisfy all my clients that gives us orders in bulk especially schools, ministries and individual altogether.

The funds need, I want to purchase the addition sewing and the embroidery machine. Due to high demand of school uniforms, nurses school uniforms and preschool uniforms due to the opening of school this January. This is a great opportunity for me to make money and expand the business. The funds needed will be used to improve develop in the production of the clothing and improve the living standard of the family.