This is a story with an unusual twist.
It’s not the usual narrative of a man that owns a successful sawmill business and conquers the world.
This is different, completely different.
In fact, this story is so unusual that it has the makings of inspiring women around the world to go out and change the world by using the power that women have as a force for good.
Meet Florance Sabwe Rashidi, a sawmiller from Kolwezi, the capital of the DRC’s Lualaba Province.
Florance is a powerhouse timber entrepreneur that looks the world squarely in the face, with a sawmilling empire that now spans four sawmilling businesses proof of her resolve to change her life and that of women around the world.
A previous overview - Scierie Glory, Begin the journey - unpacked part of Florance’s story, and how she and her husband, Asewani have grown the Scierie Glory Group into what it is today.
But this overview tells the story from Florance’s perspective, a woman’s view on how to build a timber business that works.
“I’ve always had a business. That’s the only way to make a living today. It’s not like the old days when women relied on their husbands. Now, women must work to survive, become stronger.
“You must look for business opportunities. I saw the shortage of houses in Kolwezi, and the demand for sawn timber to build houses,” Florance smiles.
“I told Asewani we should start a sawmill. He said it was a bad idea. I then went to my mother, Asewani’s mother-in-law. She understood my vision and said, do it! My mother was the founder of this business.
“Now it consists of four sawmilling businesses with Asewani, me and our son and daughter each running a sawmill.
“Women are powerful. We can change the world if we want to. See the opportunities and be the change,” Florance concludes.
