Mina was married at the age of 15. Now, at 32, her and her husband have a daughter and two sons. She was from a poor farming family. She tells us her story. “I started a ‘Chatpat’ (a quick sour, chilly snack) selling business with an investment of about Rs. 2,000 (US$17) as that’s all my family could afford. I was able to earn around Rs. 1,000 (US$8) daily and although this was not much, it boosted my confidence. That was 6 years ago. I wanted to grow my business but I wasn’t able to get a loan.”
“A year ago, I learned about the My Business My Freedom (MBMF) program through the visit of Laxmi (MBMF Project Manager). She explained that there was an opportunity for me to grow my business with a microloan through this project and the interest rate was low. I joined a group of 10 other women like me. After some training and mentoring, I was given my first loan of Rs. 30,000 (US$260) to expand my business. My income has doubled since then. I have even begun to save little by little for my children’s future. My daily income is now about Rs. 2,000 (US$17). My daughter also helps me in the business. I am now confident that I will be able to send my children to school and complete their education and I am able to manage household expenses better than before. The lessons taught to me by Laxmi has been very helpful to manage personal financial needs too.”
“The My Business My Freedom project has changed my life and I feel motivated when Laxmi comes to us and encourages us. I will continue in this business and grow it for many years to come.”
The My Business My Freedom project gives women who are stuck in the cycle of poverty, the opportunity to become self-sustainable. This is an important part of helping reduce the risk of her and her children falling prey to trafficking.
Project Partners
Last month, our co-founders Andrew and Julie Colquhoun went to Nepal to visit our current projects and partners in the region. They spent time with the girls that they have helped to get back to school through fifteen Captivating Village programs, and also checked the school where they will be attending. They also...
51 SHARES
We are happy to announce that Captivating International, with its Philippine field partner HONOR 1000, is launching a project to assist 200 underprivileged children in Manila slum communities. For the first batch, we selected 70 beneficiaries to receive educational assistance based on criteria such as income level, age, and family status. It...
10 SHARES
Jessica used to sell flavored drinks in a different town, but this meant being away from her three young kids. She then made the critical decision to transfer her small store so she could be with them. To do this, she needed additional capital, so she tried applying to our microfinance program. Because she is new...
50 SHARES
From a small grocery store, Mildred worked hard to get to this point. Through our microfinance program, her range of products grew from just pantry essentials to also include household supplies. This year, she also added ready-to-wear clothes to her store. She is grateful for the help of our Philippine field partner, Honor 1000, that contributed...
20 SHARES
Aside from providing loans for Filipinos through our microfinance program in the Philippines, one of the things we aim to do is start fellowship groups so we can provide the microfinance beneficiaries the necessary moral and emotional support as they start their small businesses.
We are grateful for this community and...
18 SHARES
“I got my hope back after I met My Business My Freedom”, says Asha.
53 SHARES
