Impact

The best advocate of the impact that microcredit has on the lives of poor women, and through them, poor families all around the world are their stories – stories of hope and unstinting determination to make a better life – stories of the achievements and improvements they have made in life. With the support of microcredit providers, the following women have created a better life for themselves, and a brighter tomorrow for their families.

Jayanthi: From Phone Booth to Paper Bags and More

Jayanthi is from a very poor family in Indra Nagar near Chinthamani in Tiruchirapalli, India. Though partially handicapped she is an enthusiastic and hard worker. She used to look after a telephone booth with her brother, but she wanted to engage in other income generating activities to improve her social status and quality of life. She became a member of the Activists for Social Alternatives (ASA), India , and received a loan of Rs.4,000 to start a paper bag production unit. Her plan was simple: once her customers placed an order, she would purchase raw materials in bulk and produce the specific number of paper bags needed. Jayanthi has a keen business mind, which enabled her to realize a need in other markets that she could fulfill, and so now along with bag making she is also bookbinding and screen-printing, as well as teaching these techniques to the other members for a very nominal fee. She now enjoys a decent life as her monthly earnings amounts to Rs.1,750. Her ambition is to diversify and expand her unit on a large scale and be one of the main suppliers in her area.

Razia: Of Beads and Bangles

Razia , a member of Community Support Concern (CSC) in Pakistan, is running a business selling fancy bangles for order. Before taking in orders, she forecasts total expenses and total sales. Once she has set her targets and identified her customers, she collects the orders along with a cash deposit to confirm the order. She then buys the plain plastic bangles from the market and passes them on to her employees (she employees 5 women at any given time), who then decorate the bangles according to a particular design and color, depending on the order requirements. Razia’s business booms during the marriage seasons and on other special occasions like Eid, parties etc. Other then just supplying the main market, she has branched out, supplying the rural areas too. As fancy bangles are cheap in comparison to other types of mirror bangles, they are more affordable for the lower middle classes who make up the bulk of her clientele. Although the competition from other designers is high in her area, Razia maintains a competitive advantage through her unique design combinations, superior quality and finishing of her product.

Rani: Profits from Handicrafts

Rani is a member of the tenth phase of Manabik Shahajya Sangstha’s (MSS) Women’s Credit Program (WCP) in Bangladesh. She heard about MSS from her neighbors, and joined the organization in May 1998. With the help of a loan of Tk. 25,000 from MSS she has set up a small business redesigning and manufacturing plastic hair clips, hair bands and earrings. Her training in the manufacture and redesign of handicrafts by her in laws has enabled her to succeed in this highly competitive and profitable business. Because of her success she has had to increase her work force, which now includes her eldest son and a number of other family members. Not happy with just a loan, Rani has taken on life insurance as well as holding a voluntary savings account in which she deposits Tk200 per month.

Rani was born in Calcutta to a family of 9. She moved to Dhaka after marrying her husband at the age of 15. She lost her father when she was 17, but despite receiving a 6 th of his will she was still obliged to retain several jobs at a time to sustain her self and her family.

Seynabou: Rebuilding Her Life

She is now looking to the future in order to increase the scale of her operations by opening a telephone center for the inhabitants of her village.

Marilyn: Businesswoman and Spiritual Leader

Marilyn is a client of TSPI Development Corporation in Quezon, Philippines. She operates a handicraft subcontracting business, supplying baskets and other native products for export to Venezuela through a network of community weavers in Lawigi, Tayabas. She was encouraged to take up the handicraft business by her sisters, who were already working in and had extensive experience with the manufacture of handicrafts. Also, having access to working capital through her involvement with the TSPI Kabuhayan Program facilitated her decision to start up the business in 2002. Marilyn’s business has steadily grown over the past two years. On a monthly basis, she delivers an average of 4 jeepney loads of products valued at P 150,000.00, and receives a monthly net profit of P 52,500, which is 35% of the gross sales.

Marilyn says, “The discipline I learnt from our TSPI center, I employ in my own business. I make sure that we comply with the set delivery dates of products. We cannot afford to be late”

Not only has she acquired a personal income but her house also provides income opportunities to at least 20 other families. “Fathers are not the sole earners, even the wife and children can learn to earn.” Marilyn is also both resourceful and innovative as her enterprise makes use of locally available renewable resources (i.e. coconut leaves, vines, and grass) giving value to materials that would have otherwise been left untapped. But more than just building a small community enterprise, Marilyn also values the spiritual well being of her weavers. To her, “ Giving livelihood alone is not important, improving the relationship with God is valuable to an enriched life.” An active member of a charismatic group, she brings in a preacher once a month to conduct a bible study/fellowship to 200 families in the community. Marilyn is an example to her group, encouraging them to better their lives with the knowledge that they too can lift themselves out of poverty with a little hard work.