We’re excited to announce our latest donation to charity Kiva, an organisation that provides micro-loans in developing countries.
Here are the stories and profiles of the latest recipients of funds from the Australian Businesswomen’s Network donations.
These stories demonstrate the parallel between business owners in all countries. Our circumstances may differ (immensely), but our spirit and our goals are often similar. Education, inspiration and networking and connections are the common elements to our success regardless of our location.
Gulumkan — Kyzyl – Okyrabr, Kyrgyzstan
Gulumkan, 27, is a single mum and has a daughter. She has a high school education and has been selling women’s bags and shoes since 2012. Her turnover amounts to $4,600. Today her total monthly profits amount to $342.
To expand her business, Gulumkan is requesting a loan of $2900 from Bai Tushum Bank. She would like to develop her business. Gulumkan plans to reinvest the profits.
Dorothy — Suhum, Ghana
Dorothy is a woman with dreams. She lives in Suhum with her child, who is currently in school, and she is determined for her child to have a good and well-rounded education.
29 year old has run her own wig and cosmetic business for the past 5 years. Apart from her usual clientele, she has been getting interest from hairdressers to buy her wigs. Dorothy cannot build up her inventory which affects the range she can provide to her customers
With the help of Kiva lenders, Dorothy is asking for a loan so she can buy new and different wigs and cosmetics, grow her business so she can support her child. This is her first loan with Advans, and she is positive she can pay on time.
Dorothy wants to make a difference in people’s lives, and you can help her!
Mayramgul— Bishkek city, Chui region, Kyrgyzstan
Mayramgul is 48 years old, married, and has two children. She has a higher education and, since 2013, selling food products has been her primary source of income. She has $4000 worth of products in circulation. At present, the cumulative monthly profit is $250.
Mayramgul has applied to Bai-Tushum Bank for a loan for $2,900 to grow her business. She will invest the loan funds to develop the commercial side of her business by increasing the turnover of goods. Currently, she is investing her funds in trade and home repairs.
Kazi Ni Mali Group — Goma, Congo
Bertha is a member of the MFI Hekima and the leader of the “banque villageoise” Kazi Ni Male. She is married, 59 years old, and the mother of 5 children, 2 of whom attend school and 3 of whom are already independent. Her spouse is a repairer.
Bertha started her clothing business 15 years ago with start-up funds she received from her husband. Later, she joined Hekima to support her business and has been progressing steadily since.
She plans to use this new loan to buy children’s clothing wholesale. The main challenge her business faces is nighttime thievery.
She would like to see her children get an education and to expand her business.
Finally, she would like to thank Hekima and its partners for the support they give to non-bankable business owners.
Dolores Aurora — Tulcán, Ecuador
Thanks to the support she received Dolores managed to make progress in her business raising pigs and earn the income she needs to provide her children with a good education.
She also has started a new business selling cosmetics. With this extra income, Dolores can provide her children with everything they need. She hopes to see them become professionals in the future.
She wants to increase her working capital, so she’s requesting another loan. She’s going to buy perfume, cologne, deodorant, creams, and other cosmetics. With this loan, she hopes to continue changing her life with the help of Kiva.
Maria Azened — Ibague, Colombia
Maria is 50 years old. She is mother to two children, whom she must raise and help to move forward.
With a view to giving her children a good education and better living conditions, Maria has worked hard at different types of businesses in order to earn money to support herself. However, with a desire to be an entrepreneur and earn her own income, she opened her own business – a retail stationery shop. She did this in order to earn an income to support herself.
Maria is applying for a loan in order to increase her income and pay for her expenses. This will allow her to enjoy a higher quality of life and fight for a better future for her children. Her biggest dreams are to pay for her children’s education and to buy a home.
This loan will be used to buy notebooks, pencils, rules, pencil sharpeners, pens, and other items for the school term.
Veronica — Albuera, Philippines
Veronica is a resident of Albuera, Leyte. She is 36 years old and married. To earn an income, she runs a sari-sari (variety) store, selling basic commodities. She has been in this business for two years.
Veronica is asking for a loan to buy more stock like soft drinks, toiletries, noodles, canned goods, food seasonings, and other basic commodities for her store.
Veronica wants to expand this business in the future for a better means of living.
Shahnoza — Tursun-zoda, Tajikistan
Shahnoza is 30 years old and lives with her family in the small town of Tursun-zoda. Her father is the family’s sole breadwinner and is now working abroad in Russia. The economic situation is making it hard for her father to send money home.
Shahnoza finished school and now wants to open her own business and help support the family. She decided to sell women’s clothing. She found and rented a place in the market. Now she just needs to buy the clothes to sell. She will use the loan to do this.
Gulnora — Pyandj, Tajikistan
Gulnora lives in a small town called Isfara. She is 59 years old, married and a mother to five children. Her eldest son and her husband are migrant workers in Russia in order to earn money and provide for the family.
Gulnora dreamed of learning the craft of cutting and sewing women’s dresses in order to start her own business and earn a living. Thanks to her mother, she learned this trade, and now she wants to start a sewing business. To do this, she needs to buy a sewing machine. Because she lacks the funds to do so, she applied for a loan to procure an electronic sewing machine as well as other sewing accessories.
You can support her, and she hopes you will. With the help of this loan, she will have a job and a steady income that will improve her family’s financial situation.
We invite you to make a donation to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries at kiva.org. Or, if you would like us to invest with Kiva on your behalf, contact us at info@abn.org.au and we can include you with our next round of support.
