{"id":217797,"date":"2024-04-10T13:11:32","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T18:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/\/?p=217797"},"modified":"2024-04-10T13:11:32","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T18:11:32","slug":"umas-sweet-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/\/umas-sweet-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Uma’s Sweet Success"},"content":{"rendered":"
In the heart of Chennai\u2019s bustling streets lies a vibrant oasis called Nila Ice Cream. The small shop is owned and operated by Uma, 20, who spent weeks painting the walls in fun colors and celestial murals, hand-making decor, and procuring seating. Every detail she selected has intention and purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI chose yellow for the walls because it means love,\u201d Uma explained during a recent visit from Zoe Empowers staff. \u201cBrown means hope.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n For Uma, Nila Ice Cream is more than just chocolate shakes and ice cream sandwiches to beat the South Indian heat. It\u2019s a dream come true.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Five years ago, Uma\u2019s childhood was upended when her father died. As the breadwinner, his abrupt absence left his family in immediate financial hardship. Because Uma\u2019s mother has a chronic disability, impeding her ability to walk and work, Uma assumed the role of caretaker, including responsibility for her brothers, who were four and five at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n Uma\u2019s mother eventually brought her children to the temple, where they begged for food each day. Additionally, Uma found work cleaning shops at the market\u2014grocery stores, salons, restaurants, and anyone who would hire her. Time spent sweeping and mopping floors instilled a yearning to open her own store, but Uma doubted the feasibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then, in January 2022, Uma heard about Zoe Empowers and attended a recruitment meeting. Hearing Jabez Williams, Zoe Empowers country manager in Chennai, explain the empowerment program moved Uma to tears. She had prayed for an opportunity for four years. This was it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe [Jabez] gave me so much hope,\u201d Uma recalled. \u201cIt was the hope that changed my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n After a couple of months of training, Uma started Nila Ice Cream. A business loan from her Zoe Empowers group covered the cost of a freezer, product inventory, and other business supplies. Uma secured a space to rent in a busy marketplace and wasted no time opening the doors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On the wall behind the register, Uma hung a framed portrait of her father. She credits him for teaching her to be bold and brave, take risks, and chase her dreams. She is emotional thinking of her accomplishments in one year with Zoe. Her life is unrecognizable. Rich with meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n