"I am 41 years old. I have nine children. My husband died three years ago, leaving me as the only person to support my family. Before my Opportunity loan I was never able to grow enough to feed my family.
My friend told me about Opportunity International and I joined a women’s group. So far I have only had one loan from Opportunity International. I used this to buy bean seeds because I wasn’t able to buy them before. I also used it to pay for labour to help me weed and harvest the crop.
I now grow soya beans, maize, beans and millet. I have done very well - I made 9 bags of maize profit and 4 bags of beans profit this year! With this I have been able to pay back my loan and save money for the first time.
I receive a lot of support from Opportunity. My women’s group meets once a week to discuss our business ideas and financial problems. It is very important that we have this so that we keep each other motivated and can help each other out. I have learnt about setting up a business plan and how to manage my loan. I have learnt how to increase the amount of produce from my fields by being able to invest in my business – by buying seeds and employing people to help me.
My life is so much better now. I have been able to pay for my hospital bills, pay for my children’s school fees and books and now I am hoping to build a good house for me and my children – which we have never had before."
