BUJUMBURA, January 9th (ABP) – Young entrepreneurs must use their mobile phones to improve their knowledge, instead of using them to look at valueless things, said Miss Ineza Neilla Confiance, founder of the company ”Neilla Candles”, during an interview given to a check by ABP, on Friday, January 5, 2024, at the headquarters of her company, based in Kamenge zone, Ntahangwa commune, in Bujumbura city.
After completing her studies at Light University in the Faculty of Nutrition in 2022, Miss Ineza made the decision to take her smartphone as a school to see how other young entrepreneurs are developing in the entrepreneurial field.
To that end, she completed a six-month training course on the internet to learn how different colored candles are made. After the training, Miss Ineza decided to put what she learned into practice, by setting up the company “Neilla Candles”. Currently, she has also been able to train two young girls.
She clarified that there is a difference between the candles that are found in the stores, because the candles of the company ”Neilla Candles” are made of beeswax and soybean oil, and the perfume which repels flies and mosquitoes.
Miss Ineza also announced that her company manufactures candles in different colors: red, yellow and green, according to customer orders.
In addition, she pointed out, the company “Neilla Candles” manufactures three types of candles, namely small candles which cost BIF 1,500, medium ones at BIF 3,500 and large candles which cost BIF 6,000. Small and large candles are used in the Catholic church and in birthday parties as decoration.
During the interview, Miss Ineza specified that she made a lot of efforts to ensure that her business was still functional, explaining that the Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment Program (PAEEJ) supported her business by facilitating the access to the Youth Investment Bank (BIJE) and to partake in competitions organized by the UNDP in Burundi. According to Miss Ineza, the participation of the company “Neilla Candles” in the competition organized by UNDP last year allowed it to be among the ten candidates who received a prize of 10 million in support.
“This job is the solution not only for me to get out of poverty, but also for young unemployed people, especially young girls to get a job ; because my dream is to support young girls to have a job”, Miss Ineza underlined.
On that occasion, Miss Ineza called on young people not to work for those who keep them away from the future, but for those who help them acquire skills necessary for their development. She also called on young people to use the internet wisely.
She continued to call on young people not to await being hired but to create their jobs or to form cooperatives or businesses in order to share their ideas and support the development of the country.