LocationsFrom Market Vendor to Community Businesswoman: Ailyn’s Business Training Journey
September 9, 2026
Ailyn Bangue takes part in value-addition training in East Santo, Vanuatu.
At 47, Ailyn Bangue is more than a market vendor. She is a farmer, small business owner, community leader and mother of three who has built a diverse range of income-generating activities through determination, hard work and the knowledge she gained through business training supported by the Markets for Change (M4C) Project.
Ailyn is a member of the NIMVA Association executive, serving as Vice Secretary, and is an active vendor at the Luganville Market. Alongside selling her farm produce, she participates in handicraft sales during cruise ship visits to Luganville and manages several small businesses, including a home canteen, a sawmill, public transport services and a fishing business.
For Ailyn, business training provided an important turning point.
Building Knowledge and Confidence
Before becoming involved with M4C, Ailyn had already been selling goods and produce to earn income for her family. She first sold products to tourists visiting Champagne Bay during cruise ship days, travelling to Luganville to purchase goods before returning to sell them in her community.
She later began growing her own crops and vegetables and selling them at Luganville Market.
Although Ailyn had years of experience in market trading, she had never received formal training in managing a business.
In 2016, after joining the NIMVA Association executive as Vice Secretary, her involvement with M4C opened opportunities for training supported by UNDP and its partners.
This included family and business management training facilitated by the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), as well as value addition training facilitated by the Department of Industry.
For Ailyn, the training was a significant learning experience.
“Although I have been in the market business for many years, this was the first time I had attended such a training course.”
She says the training strengthened both her confidence and her understanding of how to manage a family and business more effectively.
“The sessions greatly enhanced my understanding of both family and business management. I gained valuable knowledge and practical skills that helped me improve and grow my business.”
The training also encouraged Ailyn and her husband to take a more structured approach to managing their finances.
“My husband is illiterate, so he finds it challenging to manage our business on his own. We work together to support each other in managing our family and our businesses.”
One practical change was opening a bank account together, enabling the family to manage their savings more formally and strengthen their financial management.
Turning Training into Business Growth
Ailyn began applying the knowledge and skills she gained through training to her existing activities and to new business opportunities.
She expanded her farming activities from one farm to four, one for household consumption and three specifically for her market business.
As her production increased, so did her customer base. Her produce is now supplied not only to Luganville Market but also to nearby schools and a local community cooperative in which she is a shareholder.
The knowledge gained through training also helped Ailyn think beyond a single source of income. She and her husband diversified their businesses and invested in activities that responded to needs in their community.
They took out a loan to purchase a vehicle, initially using it to transport food and produce to Luganville Market. The vehicle later became a public transport service, helping farmers from rural communities travel to Luganville. Ailyn successfully repaid the vehicle loan within two years.
The family then established a small home canteen, involving their children in the operation of the business.
They later purchased a sawmill to process and sell locally produced timber, and eventually invested in a fishing business. Ailyn purchased a large deep freezer for her store and began selling fish locally, with demand eventually coming from small restaurants in Luganville.
These investments demonstrate how Ailyn has applied business knowledge to identify opportunities, diversify income and respond to market demand.
From Business Knowledge to Family Opportunity
For Ailyn, the benefits of stronger business management extend beyond income.
She is supporting three children through school, with the income and savings generated through her businesses helping to meet their education costs.
Her children are also becoming involved in the family businesses and learning from their mother.
“I believe the business knowledge and skills that I have will be passed down to my children, as they are already involved in the operation of the business.”
For Ailyn, this represents an important form of sustainability.
“For me, I can see sustainability in the future of my business.”
Her experience shows how business training can contribute not only to improved enterprise management, but also to greater economic confidence and opportunities for women and their families.
Recognising Women as Business Owners
Ailyn says one of the most important changes from her involvement with M4C has been recognising that women market vendors are businesswomen whose economic contribution matters.
“I am grateful to UNDP and M4C for shining the light by empowering women market vendors to understand that market vendors are not just selling at the market. It is a business which contributes to the Vanuatu economy. This tells us how important we are in society.”
The training helped Ailyn see her own activities differently. What began as selling goods and produce gradually developed into a portfolio of businesses, with stronger financial management, investment and links to customers.
For her, this change in mindset is at the heart of empowerment.
“The biggest change I gained from M4C was understanding that women can change the situation in the community from being a housewife to becoming a businesswoman.”
She describes her M4C journey in three words: “Power, knowledge and skills to look beyond.”
Looking Ahead
Ailyn believes her businesses are now on a more sustainable path because she has developed a distribution network and established relationships with customers and institutions.
However, she knows that learning must continue.
She hopes to participate in further business management and financial literacy training to strengthen her knowledge and skills.
She also believes other market vendors, particularly those in remote communities, should have similar opportunities to access training.
“In Santo, Luganville market vendors still need capacity-building support. There are still many market vendors in remote communities who need training.”
For Ailyn, the approach should reach women where they live and work.
“For me, the approach should be community-based rather than town- or city-based.”
Her message to other women vendors is simple: recognise your own potential, take advantage of available opportunities and make the most of what you already have.
“Being a mother and a market vendor is difficult. You need to listen to yourself and manage well what you already have. Get involved in any opportunity that is available, and you can make a change.”
Ailyn is proud of the businesswoman she has become.
“I am proud to be a local businesswoman in my community. I am proud of myself and my family.”
Ailyn’s experience illustrates the contribution of UNDP Outcome 2: strengthening women’s economic empowerment through access to business knowledge, skills and opportunities. Her journey shows how targeted business training can help women move from informal market activity towards more confident and diversified enterprise management.
For Ailyn, the most important lesson is that business growth begins with knowledge.
With new skills, confidence and the willingness to act on opportunities, a market vendor can become a businesswoman and create opportunities for her family and community along the way.
For more information, please contact:
Josian Merick, Project Associate, M4C Vanuatu josian.merick@undp.org and Vilisi Veibataki, Markets for Change Project Manager, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji | vilisi.veibataki@undp.org | +679 3227701
About M4C Project
Markets for Change (M4C) is a regional initiative aimed at improving the economic security and working conditions of women market vendors in Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands and Samoa. M4C focuses on strengthening market infrastructure, vendor capacity, and gender equality to create more sustainable and inclusive marketplaces. The M4C project is implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNDP and with support from the Government of Australia.
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