A 12-year-old girl has bought her dream iPhone 14 after selling homemade bread at school for GBP 2.
Bianca Jemi Wariyava comes from a family of bakers and after her old phone, which she had for four years, started having technical issues, she asked her parents for a new one.
But unable to afford the expensive gadget, her parents convinced Bianca, who said she is half Indian and half Filipina and lives in Dubai, to save up for it by selling bread.
The entrepreneurial young girl got to work and after selling her loaves of bread for AED 10 (GBP 2) a loaf at school, she was able to purchase a new phone, which cost AED 2,960 online (GBP 647).
Bianca lives with her mother Gemini Wariyava, a former chef and now a housewife, and her father Jemi Wariyava, who works as a chef in a five-star hotel in Dubai.
Newsflash spoke to the young girl, who is in seventh grade, and Gemini, in an exclusive interview, with Bianca saying: “My favourite hobby is baking. Since I was a young child, I have always helped my parents to create tasty pastries, including bread, cakes and cupcakes.”
But some pupils at her school were mean about the fact that her parents could not afford to buy her the phone, but Bianca takes in her stride, saying: “Some of the students ridiculed me and even questioned how poor I was that I had to sell bread.
“Some of the other students made fun of me for having to work hard just to pay for my phone since their parents would have bought one for them.
“I did not mind that, and I am even thankful that they did this because it pushed me to strive harder and show that I could achieve something.”
Bianca said she comes from a family of bakers and that she first brought a few pieces of Oreo custard bread to school for her friends to taste. Her friends loved the bread and asked for more.
Bianca said that she really wanted an iPhone 14 “because it’s the newest model from the Apple Store, has excellent features and has the design and camera I love the most.”
She added: “Before getting my iPhone 14, I had been using my old phone for four years. My phone already has a technological problem that I had to fix. The issue is that we didn’t have enough money to purchase another phone.”
Bianca said: “My family and I sold Oreo bread, cheese, ube, turkey salami, and plain soft rolls for AED 10. We sold five plain pieces, four of either cheese, ube, or Oreo, three turkey salami, and two chicken franks.”
Ube bread is a yam bread that is popular in the Philippines and a chicken frank is a sausage made with chicken.
Explaining how she learned to bake bread, Bianca said: “I come from a family of two pastry chefs who come from five-star hotels. Since I was a child, I’ve helped my parents in creating a variety of delicious pastries, including bread, cakes, and cupcakes.
“When my parents and I operated a small pizza parlour and made-to-order cakes and cupcakes in the Philippines eight years ago. It was an eye-opening experience and I was introduced to the world of baking.”
And now the entrepreneurial young girl says she hopes to open a business in Dubai. She said: “My new school year’s curriculum starts after a long break, and we are planning to have a vacation in our home country. We will pursue selling bread if God grants us the capital to start a business in Dubai.”
She added: “In the near future, I’d like to open my own bakery or coffee shop. Being a businesswoman is something I’d also think about. However, I have other skills such as singing and swimming, and another dream of mine is to be a flight attendant.
“It is a blessing from God when a door opens. It’s okay if a door closes because there are so many other choices. You should attempt and try again, but never give up. When it comes to your goals, resilience and patience are virtues you should possess.”
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
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