Realizing Your Value

Realizing Your Value

Agri Musavengana is a man with disability. He notes that he has had a physical disability since his early childhood. Currently, Mr Musavengana is an employer who has three employees who are employed by his company, Vengripa pvt ltd which specializes in the manufacturing of various household carpentry products. Agri had a difficult childhood growing up as a boy with disability. What exacerbated his circumstances more was that he grew up without a father figure in his life. He grew up in a single parent home were his only parent was his mother, however the young Agri did not let his circumstances hinder him from becoming the man he is today.

When asked about his achievements as an entrepreneur, he points out he was raised with a pugnacious spirit within him that would not let him give up despite the circumstances life presented to him. Mr Musavengana completed both Primary and Secondary education like any other child should. As a young man he got an opportunity to enroll at Ruwa National Rehabilitation Centre where he acquired the skills that enabled him to become the bespoke carpenter he is today. Agri noted that as a child he always loved being a unique individual who generally did his own thing, hence Ruwa Rehabilitation simply enhanced the skill which was already inherent in the young man. The young Agri completed his studies in no time graduating a Class 1 Journeyman.

Mr Musavengana mentioned that soon after graduating he was employed as a Carpenter. He worked for some time in various organizations including Danhiko. After sometime, Agri was in a very difficult situation where he realized that despite being employed he was unable to make earns meet and he was stuck without much career movement and growth. He then made the very difficult decision of resigning from his fulltime employment.

Agri initially started by making small items in his backyard such as; shoe racks, television stands and kitchen stands. To advertise his products he would display, the finished products just outside his gate. This led to him gradually growing a client base within his local community. Mr Musavenganas wife played a pivotal role in growing the business as she would move around surrounding areas advertising her husbands products. This move resulted in him getting more and more orders, soon Agri was obtaining orders for big items such as room dividers and kitchen units. Naturally, Mr Musavengana was soon overwhelmed with orders. He then decided to employ assistants to support him with his work and has never looked back ever since.

In terms of how he has managed such commendable achievements Agri presents that his family has played a huge role towards enabling him to become the person he is today. He especially mentioned how supportive his wife has been despite all the hurdles they faced to reach the heights they have reached. He encourages people with disabilities to get into business ventures. Mr Musavengana pointed out that given the right support systems and opportunities people with disabilities are very capable of excelling in any chosen income generating venture.