Building up Success
Born in 1968 in a peasant family of 5 where she is the only one surviving, Cissy has seen and done it all. Cissy studied up to senior five but due to lack of school fees, she dropped out in 1984 and started working as a shop attendant in Kampala in order to survive. Here she was earning a salary of Shs. 20,000 per month.
In 1997, Cissy got married and she has since been blessed with 5 children all of whom are attending school, her first born being at the University studying software engineering. However, after getting married, all was not rosy! Cissy had to quit her job to stay at home and take care of the children. Two years down the road, her husband lost his job. One day, with no hope to even get food, Cissy walked to the streets and started vending food in the markets around Kampala from where she would get Shs. 200 per plate. She did this for two years and was able to take care of her family.
In the year 2000, her neighbor introduced her to FINCA Uganda. This, Cissy says became her turning point. She joined a Village Group and borrowed Shs. 100,000 all of which was used to buy scraps of foam/spongy (rejects from companies that make mattresses). She used the scraps to make pillowcases which she sold on the streets for 5 years. She paid off well and got another loan of Shs. 300,000. With this loan, she upgraded her business and went into sofa cushions which she still sells to date alongside other businesses.
Today, Cissy has become a millionaire and is not about to stop her relationship with FINCA because she says it has made her what she is. Through her savings and profits from her businesses, Cissy has been able to build a house around Kampala where they are staying. She owns two wholesale shops in Kampala, a 12 roomed house from which she gets a supplementary income in form of rental fees. She also owns a 6 acre piece of land where she plans to establish an agricultural farm. In 2013, Cissy was nominated and represented Women Entrepreneurs as a Guest Speaker at the Global Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Scotland. She attributes her success to hardworking, determination, having a vision, patience and being trustworthy.