Zimbabwean Teen Valentine Shoti, “Mai Dovi”, Shares her Success Story with YouthUp

       “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.”~ Orison Swett Marden

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
My name is Valentine Shoti. I am a 23years old  Zimbabwean. I am popularly known as Mai Dovi when translated means ” Miss Peanut Butter !!! ” l am an orphan. On instance of my parents demise at the age of 14years, I naturally became the head of my family as I am the eldest of 3siblings; my two little sisters 9 and 6 years old and in addition  a caregiver and provider to my 84 years old grandmother who stays with us as she was sick. She had diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis.   

What motivated you the most during this time?
Barely a child traumatized by recent happenings and burdened to raise and provide for my younger siblings and sick grandmother, I was constantly buried in my thoughts. It was very hard for me. Restless in the day and troubled at night with the need to start earning some money to  pay my sisters’ school fees, our monthly rentals , food and medication for my grandmother, I invented the first ever herbal and flavored peanut butter in Zimbabwe.  

Tell us more about  “Mai Dovi”?
l am well known as  Mai Dovi a nickname when translated means “Miss Peanut Butter” ,  a nickname that eventually turned out to be a vibrant Herbal Peanut butter Brand. The brand name was gained after i invented  the first ever herbal and flavored peanut butter in Zimbabwe.  
I invented  Organut Herbal Peanut Butter at the age of 14years when i was in form 2 at Zengeza High School, in a bid to  create  a new  product made with vital  herbal plants which will be highly nutritious as well as extraordinarily delicious . 

How would you describe your motivation towards building Organut?
The motivation behind this new  product is to create a healthy herbal product  that is very healthy to improve my grandmother’s health as l could not  afford to buy her medication regularly, this was my only way of ensuring that her health was always in-check by cooking and preparing  meals with the new Organut peanut butter product everyday as it’s a very high nutrient and herbal supplement . At first my grandmother could not   withstand the bitter and unpleasant smell of herbs while chewing it directly, this motivated me to invent herbal peanut butter which turned out to be a new delicious  product that she became eager to eat and her health drastically improved. Afterwards she rarely became very sick that required her being constantly admitted in the hospital. This reduced her medical expenses that l regularly had to cater for before the invention of the new product.