This Putney couple escaped a life of poverty when their love of Facebook games turned out to be the key to their fortune.

David and Georgina Tenemaza Kramaley, aged 21 and 19, met online and began making game applications for the social networking site while they studied at university.

Against all odds, the tiny business they created, Kramaley Games, grew quickly - and was shortlisted this week for a prestigious award.

Mr Tenemaza Kramaley, of Cherrywood Drive, said: “We always played together online. It was a way to keep in touch while we were far away.

“The first games we made weren’t that successful and I was getting ready to look for a job when I finished my degree, but suddenly everything fell into place.”

The Barclays Trading Places Awards honours people who have turned their lives around by going into business.

Mrs Tenemaza Kramaley’s problems began when, aged 16, she left home in Hull because her father could not afford to look after her.

She went to New York to stay with her fiance and his family while the pair continued their studies, but finances were very tight.

Then, through no fault of their own, a legal blunder caused the family, originally from Equador, to be declared illegal in 2007, forcing them to move to the UK.

But destiny was smiling on the pair, whose online games attracted 5,000 players, which soon grew to 100,000.

Now with a team of 10 people working under them in a central London office, the couple turned over £80,000 in March this year.

Mr Tenemaza Kramaley added: “My advice to others is to keep trying hard enough, and things will fall into place. You need to be confident and work hard for it. If you keep trying hard enough, it will pay off.”

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