“I want to get ahead - I want to have a better life.”
17-year-old Jorge lives with his parents and six siblings in a small and basic rented house, in the city of El Alto. The house, which lacks a bathroom or toilet is divided in two, with Jorge and his two brothers sleeping in an area in the kitchen, cordoned off with a blanket.
With limited resources and little income at their disposal, the family have struggled to make ends meet – the impact has been felt in every aspect of their lives. Jorge explains, “Before we had a lot of financial problems, we lacked money for food, rent, school fees. Some of my siblings and I had to leave school – we didn’t have enough to eat.”
Last year Jorge became involved in a livelihoods project run by Toybox's local partner, Alalay. The project initially supported him with business skills training and the startup goods required to kick-start his business. Around six months ago, with the ongoing guidance of the project, Jorge started his own small business, selling screen protectors for mobile phones. This small business has positively helped to improve his family’s economic situation.
Jorge continues, “I wanted to join the project to get ahead - I want to have a better life. I think the most important things I’ve learned are how to start and run my venture. I learnt to calculate my costs in order to know my profit. In the area of leadership, it’s helped me to be more responsible. The thing I like most about my work is that I can manage my own time – that I don’t have to keep to a timetable. I also enjoy selling and I like mobiles! I’m proud of myself because I feel that I have improved – it’s as if I've evolved. I feel that I can do many more things than I set out to do.
My life has changed a lot, now I help my mum to generate money to pay the rent for my room and food and it makes me feel good. I've learned how to run my own business and earn money." Describing a typical day at work, Jorge shares, "On a Sunday I get up at 8am, grab the box of goods and the trolley and go out to sell. I leave without breakfast. I sell at the market until 11am, then I go to the square where I eat fish or noodle soup. After lunch I continue selling until 4pm.
Thanks to the support of the project, Jorge's future is looking brighter - he now has hopes and aspirations. He concludes,
"My dream is to study cartoon design and be recognised internationally as the best cartoon creator! I want to have a house for my mum, so that we can be more relaxed, without thinking that we might be thrown out of the houses we rent."
