From 200 SSP to 30 Jobs: How Angelina Built a Business from a Cup of Tea

By Mayak Majak Madit Tokjok

When Mrs. Angelina Gabriel Udhum started selling tea at Rumbek Market in 2011, she had little more than determination, a pressing need to feed her family, and 200 South Sudanese pounds to start her business.

Today, the 40-year-old mother of eight owns a restaurant in Rumbek that employs 30 people. She also owns a 50-by-40 plot of land, where she has constructed a concrete building that accommodates her family and visitors.

More importantly, her business has enabled her to educate her children while providing income to meet the needs of her family.

But Angelina’s journey from a small tea business to a restaurant owner has been marked by years of struggle, sacrifice and determination.

She said the decision to start selling tea was driven by the difficult financial situation facing her family after they returned from Khartoum. Her husband was jobless, making it difficult for the family to afford food and pay school fees for their children.

“The motive behind the opening business was that my husband is jobless after we came from Khartoum to date before independence, and it was very hard for our children to get food and fees for school,” Udhum told The Dawn in an exclusive interview.

With only 200 SSP, Angelina started selling tea at Rumbek Market. In the beginning, she faced numerous challenges, including the cost of renting business space and a lack of basic tools needed to prepare and serve tea.

Despite the difficulties, she remained committed to the business.

In 2012, after generating some income from selling tea, Udhum stopped the tea business and opened a restaurant using the limited resources she had managed to mobilise.

“We were three in the restaurant running this initiative,” Udhum said.

What started as a small family effort gradually developed into a growing restaurant business, creating employment opportunities and providing a source of income for people in the community.

As the business began to generate income, Angelina made education a central priority for her family.

She said she decided to send her children to Uganda to pursue further studies and access what she considered quality education. After four years, she brought them back to South Sudan to continue their education.

“After I gained some money, I decided to send my children to Uganda for further studies to acquire quality education. After four years, I brought them back to continue their studies in South Sudan. My firstborn is currently in Senior Three at Rumbek Senior Secondary School, while some of the others are attending private schools,” Udhum said.

Before bringing her children back from Uganda, Udhum said she had invested in a piece of land measuring 50 by 40 and constructed a concrete building for her family.

She said the building now accommodates the entire family as well as visitors.

However, she stressed that the struggle has continued despite the progress she has made.

The small tea business has since transformed into a restaurant serving a wide range of customers in Rumbek.

Udhum said the restaurant has expanded its food services and now slaughters goats and sells fish and beef to meet the needs of its customers. She also operates a bar serving soda, juice and water.

She said the restaurant slaughters about 16 goats per day, alongside fish and approximately 8 kilograms of beef.

“The restaurant working hours is from 4:00 AM to 12:00 AM consecutively,” she said.

The long working hours reflect the scale of the business and the determination required to keep it running.

For Udhum, however, the restaurant is not simply a source of income. It is a means of securing a better future for her children.

She said her long-term dream remains to educate her children until they graduate from university.

“The long dream and focus is education of my children till they graduated from universities, to support them with better learning so they will be productive in the future and encourage them to struggle for independent lives instead of relying and hoping for relatives’ contributions to their success,” she added.

Beyond supporting her own family, Udhum’s business has become a source of employment for people in Rumbek.

She said she currently employs 30 people, whom she pays 15,000 SSP per day, while also providing them with free lunch.

According to Udhum, most of her workers have experienced improvements in their living conditions as a result of their employment at the restaurant.

“Most of them improved indeed in terms of well living,” she said.

She also said she cooperates with members of the public and the government in running and developing her business.

From starting with just 200 SSP to owning a restaurant that employs 30 people, Udhum’s story reflects the potential of small businesses to transform family livelihoods while creating opportunities for others.

Her journey began with a simple cup of tea at Rumbek Market. Over the years, that small business grew into a restaurant that enabled her to acquire land, construct a concrete home, educate her children and provide employment to dozens of people.

For a mother who once struggled to find money for food and school fees, the restaurant has become a foundation for her family’s future.

Yet Udhum says her journey is far from over.

Her focus remains on expanding the business, supporting her employees and, above all, ensuring that her children receive an education that will allow them to become productive and independent members of society.

Her story demonstrates how determination, even with very little capital, can turn a modest livelihood activity into a business capable of supporting an entire family and creating jobs for a wider community.