A part-time job to finance her studies

Leaving at the age of 22, Maria interrupted her education for a better future in Belgium. Shortly afterwards, she returned to Angola where she financed her studies using the income from her sales business.

Maria left Angola aged 22 to join her boyfriend in Belgium where she hoped for a better life. Despite several attempts, she did not manage to regularise her situation. When the relationship with her boyfriend and the family with whom she was living broke down, she finally decided to return to the country after spending eighteen months in Belgium.

Before coming to Belgium, Maria was living with her parents and three brothers. Her parents believed that she would have a better future in Belgium, but willingly accepted her return to the family fold.

Selling cosmetic products

For Maria, the most important thing was to resume her studies. Since she had to wait for the beginning of the next academic year, she decided to use the reintegration support to start a small professional business. This would provide her with an income for a few months and enable her to save to finance her studies.

On the advice of Caritas, she began to sell cosmetic products. Given that she had only received limited reintegration support, she needed to choose an activity requiring little outlay. She therefore purchased a stock of products that she then sold from home, without having to rent a sales space.

She is now studying management and accountancy. She has been able to use her income to finance these studies and also applied for a scholarship.

Source: Caritas International