(Díli) Palasiu- Natalia is a female student who is not ashamed to do business as well as men who sell cigarettes and mobile phone recharge card on the street, because they do not want to depend on their parents to sustain their studies.
Businesswoman Natalia Domingas Sarmento da Silva, said, to reduce the burden of parents, her efforts to sell cigarettes on the roadside to sustain her studies and daily needs
“I don’t want to live just asking my parents but I try to make efforts alone to sustain my basic needs in my daily life, because I’m old I’m ready to reduce the burden of my parents”, said businesss woman Natalia Domingas Sarmento da Silva,01/04/2026.
He said, the money he used to do business with thirty-four dollars ($34) to buy cigarettes LA and Marlboro to sell in front of the Government Palace.
“The money I used to sell the cigarette was thirty-four dollars ($34), first I bought LA and two Marlboro Slops to sell, then people bought it well so I also started selling it with Telemor and Telkomsel pulse, I can get five dollars a day. ($50) and above depends on my time, because I steal free time, if I have class at 08:00 then I leave class after eating and come to the store,” the trader said.
Natalia said, the business she started in two (2) semesters because she also knew that her parents could not afford to pay for her schooling.
“I started selling cigarettes in semester 2 because I knew my parents did not have the strength to attend my studies until the end so I decided to sell cigarettes to help me with my needs such as bemo, copy, pay costs and other things”, he said
The trader said, although the hot day, rain and wind will not kill his will to do business, so he said, many challenges he faced, sometimes selling until night back home without a bus he had to walk to his kost (Comoro).
“There are many challenges that I face such as hot days, rain, wind and sometimes I sell back late no bus I have to walk because I live kost no one to help me about cooking so I feel a little tired, but I believe that success awaits me from these efforts alone but accompanied by prayer so I can go without fail for whatever I face, which for me is a problem but I have the strength to fight,” he said.
Before finishing the conversation, she also left her message to her other women not to depend only on parents, need to stand alone and not be ashamed to do business.
My message to women is that life is not to learn just ask parents we must also stand alone in our own way how to be a good person in our family, and female colleagues do not be ashamed to sell anything, if we are ashamed shame itself will kill our will, “she concluded.
Meanwhile, Natalia Domingas Sarmento da Silva, from Viqueque Municipality, currently living in Comoro, conducting her studies at the University of East Timor (UNITAL), Faculty of Education, Department of Tetún and Semester V.
Journalist : Catarina Camões/ Cipriana da Silva
Editor : Sandi Bello
