(ERGO) – Sadio Hassan Mohamed, at just 24, has turned her life around with the real estate agency she set up, handling the buying and selling of farms and plots, and also renting houses.
She started her own business after failing to secure an employment contract despite her university degree. The $600-$800 she makes a month supports her family in Mogadishu and many of her relatives in rural areas.
“I send money for bills not just to one family, but I’m regularly supporting two or three families,” she said.
As she started her business, many people close to her were not supportive as they thought her line of work was not suitable for young women. She said this only intensified her determination to success and to provide financial support to her family.
“For my parents and relatives in other regions, I get to support them by sending them some money at the end of the month while also helping them out whenever there is a need,” she said.
“When I was in school, I couldn’t get the phone I needed, I couldn’t afford to buy new clothes or live in a certain way. But today, let alone myself I support many other people.”
Sadio graduated in Islamic jurisprudence from Darul-Ulum university. As she applied for jobs, she discovered that recruitment processes were not always transparent and she felt she was never given a fair chance to prove her skills.
“There are many people who I think haven’t even completed their university education yet they got jobs, therefore I decided to create my own employment,” she stated.
Sadio started the agency 2022 working from her house and meeting clients in public places. This month, she opened her own new office, spending $600 she had saved on the fittings and furnishing.
She has five employees including two women. Their day mostly involves walking around Banadir region searching for potential houses and land for rent or sale and connecting them to tenants or buyers.
“We price the farms in Afgoye and Balad. We also search for vacant houses and look for tenants. We are also looking at getting into construction,” said Sadio, who is happy about the growing demand for their services.
