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Excerpts from an email about Júlia Chambal…

Sales for her are fairly consistent despite it being winter and a generally slower time. Depending on foot traffic through the market, the storefront is open from approximately 7am-7pm where Julia and her one employee share responsibilities. Julia’s husband is not working, so this business provides for them and their five children ranging in age from two years old to 18 years old. Any profits from the business go to maintaining the household and putting the children in school. In addition, this business supports her employee who supports one child.

The business faces two major challenges to greater profits. The first being that the storefront she works from is not enclosed. When it rains she must shut down and each night she carries her merchandise into storage at the main market where she must pay an additional fee to do so. The second is the cost and inconvenience of making three to four trips a month to the capital city of Maputo (30km away) in the local bus.

The full post can be found here).