How I’ve been surviving on pot making –Housewife

How did you become a potter?
Pot making has been part of me from birth. I inherited it from my mother and I have been doing it since I was a kid. It was as if I was helping her then not knowing that I was actually helping myself. I started imitating her, we would go and fetch the clay together and gradually I started picking up, going alone and moulding by myself. The work became faster for her then.
What motivated you into continuing the business?
I wanted to be self-reliant and independent. That was why I decided to start the business. I realised that it is more than that because with the profit I make, I was able to send my children to school, and also take care of their feeding, clothing and other needs.
How do you get the materials you use?
I get the clay from a nearby stream in the community but the challenge is getting the clay during the rainy season. It is usually difficult because rain washes the sand away. Therefore, I normally collect it in large quantity during the dry season and I store it to use during the rainy season. With this method, however, it is not always enough for me.
How do you sell the pots?
I usually take them in a vehicle to Bwari market. The market day is usually every four days. I sell them at the rate of N150, that is the small ones but for the bigger ones I sell them at the rate of N200 each.
Would you say that the business is lucrative?
To be sincere with you, it is not that profitable, but I still thank God because I can take care of some of my needs and desires.
What are your challenges?
I face many challenges, most especially when taking the pots to the market. During transit some break and in some cases if I do not get a vehicle to convey the pots, I use to arrange the pots one on the other, tie them with a net and take them to the market myself.
Then, in the process of making the pots, many break and I am left with nothing. What worries me most is during the rainy season, I suffer a lot because there used to be scarcity of clay and I do not have any other work to do. Living with this as sole business has been challenging.
How will you like the government to assist you?
The government should assist me to establish another business or give me money to open another business like buying and selling of farm produce like rice, maize, millet etc.