At 8:30 a.m., Njomoh Nathan is ready with his wheelbarrow, loaded with slippers for the market. While the young boy’s primary goal is to help his mother, his hustle also earns him a small income of his own.
Noise here, noise there. Vendors are shouting the prices of their goods. “Marché B” in Bafoussam is loud and busy with reconstruction work undergoing there , and with the tightened environment , here comes Njomoh Nathan, a 15 year old boy with his wheelbarrow filled to the top with colourful slippers.
This is Nathan’s small business, where he earns some coins to put in his homemade bank. He pushes his wheelbarrow to the same spot every day. Nathan has two clear goals, he wants to help his mother with money for their home, and he also wants to earn enough to pay for his school things. “I am not the only child, but I am the first, so if I can help my mother, why not help her and learn from the hustling” he says.
“I will need new books, pens, and other school stuff.” Listing some school needs. He is a determined seller, he does not stay quiet. He calls out to people walking past, holds up a pair of slippers, and shouts out a fake price just to attract passersby. “3 pairs for 500f ” that is how he gets customers attention.
He tries to speak to everyone who comes near his wheelbarrow and rarely lets a customer walk away without a pair. The slippers are very cheap, but each sale gives him a little money. At the end of the day, all the small amounts add up. He saves every coin for his school and for his mother. “My mother gives me a fixed price I should sell a pair of slippers for, but when I sell for more than that price, I keep the extra money for myself. She is aware; that is my own small thing I get every day,” he explains. The market is noisy, but Nathan stays focused on his work not to miss his customers.
