Esther Ali took a piercing look at the array of products she made: “I made 14 products that I sell and distribute to hotels and some shops” she boasts, listing the 14 items, which include hand sanitizers, body wash, hair cream, hair conditioning, body lotion, air freshener, lipstick, aftershave for men, etc. Esther never imagined she could quickly make the transition from hawking oranges from street to street to selling her own hand-made products to hotels and having her branded name dot the 14 products.
Esther is easy prey for traffickers in human sex exploitation; she is uneducated, and had no skill but is determined to succeed at any cost. “My parents did not have much to take care of us as children; I did not go to school, we struggled so much, we can’t even eat well, always suffering,” she said.
Esther had no dream, no aspiration; she just wanted to live a life without the struggles for basic things like clothing and food on her table. The only option was to do menial jobs and hawk oranges when she is not at work. She explained her tough it was to earn eight thousand naira (8,000) after each month of hard work. It was not enough to fulfill her basic need for food and clothing. She needed more. In her search for more, an opportunity to be trained with skill presented itself. It was the first time to acquire any form of skills.
“I wouldn’t have been useful to myself if I didn’t get the opportunity to be trained by ActionAid, I always think what would I be doing now if not for the training” Esther was enrolled in the Cosmetology session of the training for potential migrants in Auchi. She soaked her soul into the training and it showed: “I learnt 12 products during the training and I learnt 2 more products on YouTube” Esther diversified her line of business and quickly gained the interest of small guest houses and neighbourhood supermarkets where she regularly supplies her products.