From Housemaid to Entrepreneur

Irina shows off a pair of the high-end shoes she sells at her store in Comrat. Chisinau - October 25, 2007. After Working as a Maid in Turkey, Moldovan Woman Starts Her Own Business at Home. When Irina and her husband separated, she needed to find work outside of the home.  Having married when she was just 18, she had no work experience and couldn’t find employment.  Desperate to support her children, she joined the estimated 40% of working-age Moldovans who work abroad.  Leaving her children with her mother, she took a housekeeping position in Turkey where, after two years, she saved enough money to return to home.  Grateful to be reunited with her family, Irina was determined to find work in Moldova. Irina had an idea to start her own business but she didn’t know where to begin.  Then she heard about the USAID Regional Support Center (RSC) for women at risk that opened in the nearby town of Comrat.  She seized the opportunity to participate in the center’s free courses and attended a two-day “Am I an Entrepreneur?” training.  Together with the RSC staff, Irina developed a business plan to import and sell footwear.   She used her savings to buy a kiosk with a large glass display window and rented a space at the local market.  She then took out $5,000 in loans to purchase seasonal footwear.  With her business underway, Irina is successfully making her loan payments on schedule and receives continued support from RSC staff to solve management challenges. Thanks to the USAID Regional Support Center, Irina is now self sufficient businesswoman.  She earns enough money to support her family and anticipates that she will be able to increase her income significantly as she expands her customer base and pays off her loans.  Moreover, she is reunited with her children and her family’s quality of life has greatly improved.

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