OH: Marilyn’s Steady Income Streams

Marilyn at her food stand smiling proudly

We believe that a lot of impoverished mothers have the chance to elevate their and their children’s living standards if only given the opportunity to do so. Because of this, we started our One Hope Microfinance Program (OH) to provide microloans starting at PHP 6,000 (USD 102).

How does this work? Each client will be a part of a fellowship group where they must agree to commit to a weekly payment and attend community-building activities. Once the loans are repaid, they are eligible for succeeding with increments of PHP 3,000 (USD 51), until the maximum loanable amount of PHP 30,000 is reached. The client will then have 40 weeks to repay the succeeding loans.

One of the women we helped in this program was Marilyn, who is currently on her third loan. When we visited her at her food stand, she beamed proudly as if to show how far she had gone.

Every day, she makes 15 different kinds of viands and snacks to feed students and teachers of a nearby school—an excellent location for her small business. She would also ask teachers about upcoming school events so she can adjust the quantity of her dishes to diminish the costs and food waste. Her small eatery sells more than just viands to pair with rice. Every week, she makes peanut butter in bulk for her suppliers.

These multiple steady streams of income have been consistently building her savings for her two children in grade school. We are truly proud of her for what she has accomplished so far and for her more achievements to come!