Harry Ernest

Harry Ernest was born on 6th October 1986. He comes from Chiwaya village in Traditional Authority Kanyenda in Nkhotakota district. He has a leg disability. One leg is longer than the other.

Harry never knew his father. He died when Harry was very young. He was raised by his mother who is a house-wife. The mother depends on small holder farming. This made it impossible to for Harry to continue with school. He was forced to drop out while in form two. His mother could not afford to pay for his education. Being a form two drop-out, Harry could not find formal employment. He therefore had to depend on doing piece work on farms in his area. Such piece work did not pay much. At best he could earn about Mk 10,000.00 per month. Life was hard for him and his family.

In April 2019, Harry was recruited for carpentry training under GCT Tools and Training for Livelihood Project in Nkhotakota. Apart from knowledge and skills in carpentry Harry also learnt basic business management, HIV and AIDS, Gender and reproductive health. He graduated in March 2020. After graduation Harry was given a carpentry tool kit and some start-up raw materials. He was very excited about the thought of starting his own carpentry business. So in November 2020 Harry opened a carpentry shop at a trading centre in his area. Business has been good for Harry. In a good month he earns up to Mk 80,000.00, thus increasing his income by 700 %.

This income has enabled Harry to provide more financial support to his mother, build a new three roomed house roofed with corrugated iron sheets, buy a bicycle and pay school fees for his young brother, who is in form two.

In future Harry plans to build a bigger shop, buy electrical carpentry equipment and employ an assistant, as he foresees increased demand for his services.

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