Rebuilding Roots: Umar’s Journey of Survival and Transformation

Meet 43-year-old Umar Muhammad, a professional vulcanizer who learned the trade from his grandfather at the age of 13. He made it his sole means of livelihood, taking over his father’s shop in Malumfashi, Katsina, where he was thriving—until one fateful day when unknown gunmen attacked his community and burned down his shop.

“I’ve always been a hardworking man, but sometimes you can’t predict what life throws at you,” Umar recalls. “My shop and my entire means of livelihood were destroyed by bandits, and I had to flee with my family to Jibia LGA to start over. Life was tough, but as a man, I kept hoping for things to get better.” Umar Narrates

Having lost all his tools and means of livelihood, Umar faced the daunting task of finding a way to sustain and provide for his family—two wives and eight children. He had to start from scratch, but with unwavering determination, he decided to rebuild his life with a local hand pump.

“After a few weeks in Jibia, I knew I had to find work,” Umar recalls. “With the little money I had, I bought a manual hand pump and rented a space to offer my services. Although I was able to make some petty cash to support my family, the manual process took too much time. I often lost customers because I couldn’t work fast enough. I needed a better machine to speed up my work and increase my income, but I didn’t have enough funds to do that,” Umar laments.

Umar was one of the beneficiaries selected to participate in the Financial Management training, where he also received a grant of 150,000 Naira. From the moment he received the grant, he knew exactly how he would invest the money, combining it with the valuable knowledge gained from the training to take his business to the next level.

“I was happy to be part of the financial management training. It was my first time participating in such an initiative, and I was even more excited when I received a grant of 150,000 Naira,” Umar shares with a smile. “I immediately pictured myself buying a better machine for my business, and I also started thinking about getting into the recycling business. I’m glad I did. Now, I supply recycled tyres to furniture makers. It has been a life-changing experience for me. I’m so grateful to UNDP and KASEDA for this timely act of support,” Umar narrates happily.

CREDIT: UNDP NIGERIA