RUSSIA: Small town Russian grandma proves that a knack for business isn't only for the young

Record ID: 755579

  • Title: RUSSIA: Small town Russian grandma proves that a knack for business isn't only for the young
  • Date: 21st December 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) 84-YEAR OLD BUSINESSWOMAN, MARIA BORIGINA, SAYING: "I went in the market and I thought that I could do that. I already have a horse. And so I thought why not give it a try. And so I tried it.'' CLOSE OF BORIGINA'S HANDS CLOSE OF BORIGINA'S EYES (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) 84-YEAR OLD BUSINESSWOMAN, MARIA BORIGINA, SAYING: "In summer, the girls ride the children. I give them 30 percent of the money made, plus they get 50 rubles for lunch. And plus they steal some money. You know they are children, and it's money. We all have to live on money.''
  • Embargoed: 5th January 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVAA5A5IFQVNYVN2HUS33X1XYHVM
  • Story Text: Russia's world of business can be rough and wild, where entrepreneurs must learn to dodge the bullets of mafia hitmen, as well as shake-downs from corrupt bureaucrats seeking a bribe.
    Not surprisingly, many Russians believe business is a man's job, and primarily for those who are young and robust and willing to risk both life and capital. A little old Russian grandmother in the provincial city of Yaroslavl, however, is bucking the trend.
    Maria Borigina, 84, took up business 4 years ago, with no prior experience. As a young woman of 21 from Minsk, Belarus, she fled invading Nazi armies in 1941 and helped out with the Soviet war effort as a refugee in the Russian hinterland. There she met her husband, a director of a collective farm.
    He died in 1947 and she was arrested shortly afterward for ``anti-Soviet activities'' and sent to a Gulag camp in Russia's Arctic region. Three months later she was released after being cleared of the charges.
    After that, her life has been fairly typical for the average Soviet citizen, with her working at various jobs in local factories. She officially retired in 1974, and spent most of her time keeping a small garden and some animals in order to survive since the Soviet Union was plagued by shortages of even the most basic foodstuffs.
    In 2002, shortly after the death of her son in a car crash, she had no one left to care for her. Her two daughters had their own problems and couldn't help her. Inflation was eating away at her miserable pension of about 40 U.S. dollars (USD) a month.
    Now she checks her accounts and keeps her business documents in order.
    "Certificate... tax registration certificate,'' she says as she shows documents proving that she has an officially-registered business.
    "I went in the market and I thought that I could do that,'' said Borigina, "I already have a horse. And so I thought why not give it a try. And so I tried it.''
    Now, every day, both summer and winter, she and her young employees give children rides on her pony and horse in a downtown city park for 50 rubles for 15 minutes.
    "In summer, the girls ride the children,'' said Borigina. "I give them 30percent of the money made, plus they get 50 rubles for lunch. And plus they steal some money. You know they are children, and it's money. We all have to live on money.''
    When she's not running pony rides, Borigina takes care of her animals at home. Food in Russia is expensive. While the average salary in Yaroslavl, a transport and industrial centre of about 600,000 people is around 200USD to 400USD a month, prices for basic goods are about the same as in western Europe.
    Many people in Yaroslavl, as elsewhere in Russia, rely on their own gardens and husbandry to feed their families.
    "Maybe because since she's so active God gave her good health," says Alla Nikolaevna, Maria Borigina's daughter-in-law.
    "Other grandmas just sit around, gossip and walk around. No, she's not that kind of person. As soon as the sun rises, she has to do something. There are mouths to feed.''
    With her energy and tenacity, Maria hopes to expand her business and looks foward to many more successful years.
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