Results for search of category: Stories

Post-conflict microfinance

Friday, October 18th, 2013

I had an interesting chat last week with a lady from Uganda who is trying to expand her microfinance programme into northern Uganda. It's an area devastated by 20 years of civil war. Most of the population suffered terrible trauma - children abducted to become child soldiers and forced to commit atrocities against their own villages, women and girls raped, people losing their homes, land and loved ones. Can microfinance work here?  [Read More... ]

Village Savings Groups – how to nurture financial services in the remotest corners

Sunday, August 18th, 2013

I recently visited the village of Nangarua in Beringo District, Kenya. The journey from Nakuru town to Nangarua took 4 hours, of which 2 hours was on tarmac roads and 2 hours very definitely wasn't. We were visiting with Anthony Mambo, recently appointed Microfinance Officer in Nakuru. His challenge is that he is one man with one old car and a district over 300 miles from side to side.   [Read More... ]

Catherine

Thursday, June 13th, 2013

Ten years ago, Catherine was making a small living buying fish from local fishermen and selling them at a nearby market. Today she has saved enough money to build her own house, housing 18 members of her family. She pays for her grandchildren to go to school, and financially supports various other extended family members.   [Read More... ]

Claire

Saturday, April 13th, 2013

Claire was a stockbroker in the City and gave up her job to travel by motorbike across Africa. Her motorbike maintenance skills were a huge help to Loan Officers at the MicroLoan Foundation.  [Read More... ]

Lenie

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Lenie has started a bicycle and fritter business thanks to her small loan  [Read More... ]

Rachel

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Rachel's Microfinance Experience in Kenya led her to do a Masters to understand it better: "I was so struck by the simplicity yet huge impact of the idea - lend a group of women £30 and suddenly they can feed their children without having to work as prostitutes. I knew I had to find out more"  [Read More... ]

Shida

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Mama Bahati client, Shida, began by borrowing a £20 microloan to buy fabric for dress-making. She now makes up to 20 dresses a day, and is able to send all 6 of her children to school.  [Read More... ]

Zawadi Mpwepwa

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

This is Zawadi Mpwepwa, a client of the Mama Bahati Foundation in Tanzania, supported by Arcubus through Five Talents UK. Her entrepreneurial drive has enabled her to support not only her own 3 children but two others whom she has taken in.  [Read More... ]

Lucas

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013

Lucas owned a small plot of land in northern Mozambique - but he could not afford to buy any seeds or tools to start farming it.  [Read More... ]