Strategic
Micro-investment

We wondered, what would happen if we invested money in a group of women who had lifted themselves out of poverty, started small businesses, and wanted to help other women do the same thing?  We talked with two of our most strategic partners and they decided to invest in this small group of ladies! 

We knew from the start that this was a risky venture.  We felt confident in our partners and in the project so we sent the money and sat back to see what would happen. 

It had been 4 years since the money had been sent by the time we went to check on the project.  At best, we were cautiously optimistic about what we would find.  When our Field Coordinator sat down with the leaders of the project, he was blown away by what he learned.  He was told that they had taken the money and loaned it out to other women who were in dire situations.  One woman was so poor that she did not even have a pan to cook in or a foam mat to sleep on.  She took half of her loan to buy a pan and some food, the other half she used to start her business.  This woman is now thriving and has her own little boutique clothing store!

More than 120 women received loans and every one of them repaid it.  With the original principal plus the interest, which was paid, these women, now as a large, organized cooperative, purchased a house, and began operating their businesses out of there.  They then leveraged this house with a bank to purchase a HUGE piece of land in the city center as their new place of business.  As of November 2020, they only have 2 years left to pay on that loan until that new land is free and clear!