House from hair: Beautician realises dream

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA


PROUDLY doing the work she loves, hairdresser Betty Tembo, 40, and mother to a 22-year-old daughter, Betty never imagined she would be an inspiration to other women by ensuring that she purchases a house from the money realised from her passion.

Being a school drop-out did not hinder Ms Tembo from realising her full potential in life but this only encouraged her to work even harder.

Her dream did not end there but she went further to acquire the most sought-after possession, a house.

Here is how Ms Tembo managed to acquire what she has and to be where she is at the moment and where she hopes to see herself in the near future: "I was born in Petauke in the Eastern Province on June 16, 1973 but life was not easy for my mother because my father died while my mother was still pregnant with me", said Ms Tembo.

With the death of her husband and the hardships endured in Petauke, Ms Tembo's mother decided to relocate to Lusaka hoping for greener pastures and settled in Bauleni where her interest for hair plaiting developed.

"We had a neighbour who used to work in a salon in Chilenje and whenever she went for work, I would accompany her to learn the ropes of hair plaiting", said Ms Tembo.

Unfortunately, Ms Tembo dropped out of school in Grade Five due to long distances she had to cover when trekking from Bauleni to Chilenje A Basic School.

After acquiring the skill of hair plaiting, Ms Tembo found herself working at Dolly hair salon in Chilenje market in 1988 but she didn't last there as her focus was on setting up her own business.

It cannot be disputed that Ms Tembo was determined to make a difference in her life.

"In 1995 three of my friends and I acquired a shop at the town centre and we were lucky that we already had our own customers, hence it was easy to quickly establish ourselves." she said.

When Ms Tembo fell pregnant, the father of her child did not marry her. She raised her daughter single-handedly, something she proudly speaks about.

"Since the father of my child refused to marry me, I have been taking care of my daughter since birth.

The money from hair plaiting has seen her through school and now she hopes to go to college to study nursing", said Betty.

By 2003 the hair plaiting business was booming as there were very few hairdressers. It was at this point that she acquired land in Garden House area along Mumbwa road and started building a house which took her about four years to complete.

"When I had raised enough money, I decided to buy a plot in the Garden house area and built a house so that my child and I could have a place to call home.

Besides my house, I am also putting up a three by one-block of flats on the same plot", she said.
As the old adage goes Rome was not built in a day, Ms Tembo's house wasn't built in a day, months or a year but with the perseverance, determination and endurance she withstood all storms.

To date Ms Tembo and her daughter have been living in the Garden house home for the last six years and thumbs up to her intelligence.

Lack of business is a major challenge facing Betty and many hair dressers today because many people have opted to tale up this noble yet simple job including the Masai from East Africa posing stiff competition by plaiting the 'Masai braids'.

Three Masai men can plait one person within four hours but can take two to three days when done by local hair dressers. Masai braids can last up to four months.

Besides being a hair dresser, Ms Tembo also travels to Nakonde to buy clothes for re-sell in Lusaka which include dresses, skirts, tops and trousers for ladies and says she is pleased with this line of business.

She was, however, quick to advise women not to degrade themselves by using improper channels of making money, but to use whatever talent God has given them to better themselves.

"In as much as education is the key to success as an old adage has it, talent and skill can make one succeed in what they do, if put to good use," she said.

And as we celebrate this year's Women's' Day whose theme is 'The Gender agenda: Gaining momentum' it is important to also focus attention on women who maybe considered less important as they, too, contribute to the economic development of the country.

In her spare time, Ms Tembo loves gardening and cleaning her home.