The Power of Investing in Women

Meet Mery, one of our most enterprising microfinance clients. Mery joined our program in 2012 and used her first loan of $120 to build a small shop in Oldeani town.

Before opening her business, Mery lived in a small hut with her three children and struggled to get by. Because she didn’t have her own source of income, Mery often had to wait until her husband returned from a week of working to feed her family.

Five years later, Mery’s shop is one of the most successful businesses in Oldeani. But it didn’t come without a lot of hard work and support along the way. Mery has been an active participant in our business training courses and has benefited from access to increasingly larger loans. Last year, she also sought to expand her skill set and diversify her income by joining our handicrafts program.

Mery’s increased income has allowed her to independently feed her family, build a safer home, and send her first daughter to college, providing her family with a future they never imagined possible.