We’re excited to announce HerBusiness’ latest contribution to support business women in the Philippines, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Samoa, Kenya, and Vanuatu.
Our goal at HerBusiness is to support women in business growth and continue to do what they love, wherever they may be. This is why, for over 10 years, we have continued to support women and entrepreneurs through KIVA.org, a non-profit organisation that provides loans to women in business from disadvantaged areas.
While our day-to-day circumstances might be different, our spirit and our goals for having a business are the same. We want to fund our lifestyles, support our families, contribute to our communities, and feel a sense of accomplishment.
We are pleased to announce our latest donations to 11 business owners from the Philippines, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Samoa, Kenya, and Vanuatu.
All 11 of these women operate small businesses in their respective countries and have high ambitions for the growth of their businesses. Our loans will go a long way in supporting these women who work hard to provide for their families and to improve their family’s overall living standards.
“Our circumstances may differ immensely to these women but our spirit and goals are often the same.”
Suzi Dafnis
Here are the stories and profiles of the women and their businesses we are supporting this year.
We’re so thankful for the contribution our HerBusiness Network members continue to make to fellow female entrepreneurs.
Suzi
Mergie: Palawan, Philippines
Mergie is a hardworking entrepreneur who has a food vending business in the Philippines. With the donations from KIVA, she will be able to purchase ingredients for food production. She’s been sustaining her business through her own efforts and wishes to maintain and expand her business.
Mergie has dreams of saving enough money to send her children to college.
Ayşe: Turkey
Ayşe is 54 years old, and a mother of two. She has been the proud owner of a perfume shop for a decade. With the donations from KIVA, she will be able to restock her perfume shop and keep up with the demand from her customers.
This loan is special because it supports underserved women in rural parts of Turkey.
Iqra: Lahore, Pakistan
Iqra has her own beauty shop on her street. She’s skilled in makeup and hair design, and she also sells jewellery. With the donations from KIVA, she will stock up on beauty products, like makeup kits, to serve more clients.
This loan is unique because it empowers women entrepreneurs to strive for economic equality.
Junarsih: Serang, Indonesia
Junarsih is a 36-year-old mother with a son and daughter. She has been running a grocery shop from home for over six years. Her shop sells snacks and various household items. It’s helped meet daily needs and funded her children’s education.
Junarsih will use the donations from KIVA to expand her business by buying more goods. Junarsih is a dedicated mother working hard to improve her family’s life and create happiness for her children.
Luz Marina: Granada, Nicaragua
Luz is a hardworking single mom and micro-business owner. She’s been running her convenience store for years and would like to expand it by offering more products. Luz will use her donations from KIVA to buy items like rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil, etc.
These products will boost her sales, making her business more stable and helping cover family expenses. She hopes to keep growing over time.
Asomaliu: Fogasavaii Savaii, Samoa
Asomaliu is a 28 years old, mother of three. She’s been selling pancakes in her community to make a living for over two years. To support her business, Asomaliu will use the donations from KIVA to purchase flour, sugar, yeast, plastic bags, a wooden spoon, a frying pan, and vegetable oil.
With these items, she aims to grow her business using the profits she earns.
Mariam: Nanyuki, Kenya
Mariam is a 36-year-old hairdresser with one child and supports her family, including her parents, with the income from her successful salon. Mariam plans to use the money she receives from KIVA to buy essential equipment like hairdryers and weaves, to improve her business.
Her salon not only benefits her but also her community by providing jobs for professional hairdressers, boosting the local economy. Mariam is determined to support her children’s education and dreams of sending them to university for a better future.
May: Port Vila, Vanuatu
May is 31 years old, with a partner and two kids. They live in a rural area, a 30-minute drive from town. May sells fresh food and vegetables to make ends meet, initially starting this business to support her family.
Her goal is to improve their living standards by increasing her crop production for more income. With the money she receives from KIVA, she’ll hire help to clear her garden and buy vegetable seedlings to grow and sell. The profits will cover family needs and fund her plans, ultimately making life better for her family.
Airyn: Toboso, Philippines
Airyn is a dedicated entrepreneur in the Philippines with a general store. With the donations she receives from KIVA she will purchase goods like canned items, chips, and personal care products for her shop.
With her determination and the help of KIVA donations, Airyn will be able to keep her business running and working towards securing her family’s future.
Nasreen: Chishtian, Pakistan
Nasreen is a 49-year-old hard-working woman. After a difficult family situation, she started a business selling fabric. Nasreen is famous among her neighbours for her collections and has a good client list.
Nasreen will use the funds she receives from KIVA to purchase good-quality fabric in different colors to increase her profits. This would enable her family to live a decent life and improve their standard of living.
Cecilia: Kesses, Kenya
Cecilia is 39 years old, and a mum with two kids. She’s a hardworking woman, running a grocery business that supports her family. Cecilia values her customers and wants to build stronger relationships with them. She will use her donations from KIVA to stock up on potatoes, onions, fruits, and vegetables to make more profit.
Cecilia’s business benefits the local community and creates jobs by buying goods from local farmers. Her dreams involve securing her children’s education for a brighter future.
For more information about Kiva.org, visit their website.
