Making and designing things has always been my hobby. It is an activity that I developed a great passion for and in school, I was one of those students recognized in this field, and I could see myself doing this to earn a living. After school I enrolled in a computer class and later on joined computer graphics designing class to perfect the skills I had in the same field. I excelled here, and I had a lot to show for this but I still could not break through.

I lacked a lot, especially as far as business skills were concerned and I was honestly not ready to join a business class. I knew it was costly and would also eat into my valuable time. So, I had the skills in both ICT and graphics design; and a heart willing to achieve the best with all these riches at my disposal. I hoped and prayed for the best, waiting for some breakthrough.

The waiting was not too long as I soon realized. From nowhere came Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), and with them was the ReachUp! Program. I was not ready for this course, but through a friend’s encouragement, attended the first session, just to know what the program was all about. The first session (the introduction) did it for me; it opened up in me the vision I had long seen in my dreams and desired to achieve. Sacrificing three hours each day for the next one month now looked like a promising activity and I was more than ready to enjoy it.

The ReachUp! training was everything that other trainings are not: strategic, straight forward, up to date, well meaning and very interesting. The modules addressed issues we could identify ourselves with. They revealed us to ourselves. They brought a renewal to life and freshness of mind and, above all, they made us view life positively. The business plans I had became more real and achievable. I realized that a lot more could be got from the simple things that we have; that we as human beings are resourceful in our own way. We don’t have to strain so much to attain our goals. Plus, the tutor was the best placed for the program, he inspired me a great deal. His mastery of the concepts around the program was untold.

After the course

Barely a month after finishing the course, I now have my business plans well laid down. Soon after the course, I embarked on a serious research on the line of business I wanted to pursue. While doing the one-on-one interviewing, I accidentally bumped onto a person with similar vision and interest as mine. He is a widely traveled person and is well versed in product marketing and distribution. His valuable input in the joint business venture we are coming up with, however, is the connections he has with the printing firms in the urban centre where he grew up. This would help us reduce the cost of production of our goods because the cost of printing has soared. I thank my stars for this great find; he will be helping me solve a puzzle that had given me many sleepless nights. Right now we are trying to put our resources together to help us embark on the first step towards setting up a space for our firm, acquiring the programs and software for the production and of course, starting the production right away. If all goes well, we expect to produce the first bunch of calendars for the year 2009 by early September 2008. This kind of development will necessitate further development, including being able to acquire the necessary equipment and machines.

Looking back at what I have gone through in pursuit of my dreams, all I can do is smile. The emergence of the Reach Up! Program was the best thing to happen to me lately. I hope many people will benefit from it and help them recreate their lives. Everything has its goodness but not everyone sees it. I’ve seen the business in the program and I hope others will see it too.

Kudos to DOT. Keep up the good work and may you never tire in your quest to empower the community.