Success Stories

Bakery

This young women has opened a bakery in the spare room of her home with her first microcredit loan. Every morning she gets up at dawn and bakes fresh loaves for the village to buy. She says that the bread is very popular and she sells out every day. She is able to repay part of her loan every week, buy new supplies and has money left over for her family. This is the first time she has had an income of her own.

She is part of a women’s support group and attends their meetings and learns about other peoples business problems and solutions. When she has repaid this loan she will be eligible to borrow a larger sum and use it to expand her business.

In the photo on the left, she is talking to the Loan Officers on one of their regular visits. During each visit, they collect a small cash repayment of part of the loan, which they record in her loan book. They ask questions about how the business is running and offer advice. They also fill her in on any upcoming meetings or workshops and are the line of support to many microcredit businesses.

Microcredit has helped this woman earn an income and provide for her family.

String Hopper Noodle Business

After the tsunami in 2004, these grandparents became the primary caregivers of their grandson. Their small retirement savings were not enough to meet the extra costs. The grandmother applied for a $50 microcredit loan to purchase equipment and supplies to make fresh string-hopper noodles, a Sri Lankan favorite. She has paid back her loan and the extra income pays for books, uniform and school supplies for their grandson.