Two Stories, One Dream

Domingas Adelino and Alzira Casimiro are two young women that have been trained in the culinary field. Whereas their personal history distinguishes them, both share the same dream: open their own business in the restaurant industry.

Early on, Domingas Adelino (21) had a peculiar passion for cooking. When she heard about the possibility to get a professional education, the young woman decided to embrace the opportunity. “I didn’t think twice, I ran straight to enrol at UATAF AFC and was referred to CEFOCULINA”, says Domingas.

We talked to her at her workplace, in one of the most reputable restaurants in the city of Nampula, called Bom Petisco. Happy with her job as kitchen assistant, Domingas states that her living conditions have changed positively.

Domingas earns the minimum wage of the sector, an amount that contributes to support her family (parents and five siblings). With a formal job for about a year, the young woman expects to get a training in nutrition, but her big dream remains: “My biggest wish is to start my own business. I would like to start with a small take-away and grow it into a restaurant”, she says.

Like Domingas, Alzira Casimiro (34) also dreams of her own business but for now, her goal is to become a chef. “I like my work, but I think I can do my best as chef”, says Alzira. For over just five months, Alzira has been working as a kitchen assistant in one of the most prestigious restaurants in the port city of Nacala.

The young woman earns approximately six thousand meticais per month. “In the past, it was very difficult to support my children, but today, the situation has improved and as a result, they can go to school without worrying whether there will be food,” she says.

Alzira, who looks at the opportunity given by Helvetas as a rescue buoy for young people, says she chose the cooking class due to the countless outlets in the labour market. “It's an area where, without a formal job, you can go into self-employment,” she explains. Before the training, Alzira used to bake cakes and sell them on the streets of Nampula. The money earned daily was minimal and not enough to provide for the livelihood of her three children.