Doing a lot with a little

RECEIVING THE FIRST LOAN AT EMMALOBA

There are three small groups of women who are receiving loans to help in small business. It hardly seems possible to us that a loan of $15 will start someone on the path to a better life, but these women prove it can be done.

We consider the microfinance scheme as 'training' for the business world and when they reach the maximum loan of $150 they will be transferred to a

formal lending institution. They will then begin to pay interest but will have learned the basics of running a small business.

Some of the women are iliiterate and during our next few months we want to start some adult literacy and bookkeeping classes.

Here is some news:

With sponsorship through Tembo, Margdalene attended a day school with mud walls and no power. She was one of the top students in the country in her high school leaving exams and will be sponsored through university. On August 17 she started her studies in Education at University and will be a high school teacher of Math and Physics, She has been overseeing the three microfinance groups in Emmaloba, Emuhaya and Ebusyubi and she writes:
About the microfinance the women are doing excellent and are all thankful . They sent much greetings to you .One lady at Emmaloba is practicing cowdung fuel project which she says is very profitable. Also through the microfinance another lady has been able to take her child to Maseno polytechnic where she pays 400 shillings from her small business. Josephine invested her loan by buying a goat which has given forth to two young ones. Emma too bought a cow which is still growing. The sheep at Ebusyubi are doing well too, with one served. Margaret's cow still growing and she is looking forward to complete her fourth loan this month. She asked me to request you to add her another 10,000 shillings if it is possible. The women at Emmaloba are very inspiring. Already seven of them are repaying their third loan,5 repaying second loan and one the first loan. All the ladies sent much greetings to you.

They are all thankful because the micro finance has indeed really changed their lives They all say "Long live sister Patricia"

In the picture a group of villagers are learning to make cowdung fuel

Carolyne will take over the monitoring of the groups and says: I have seen their vegetable project,and also the way they progress with their loan repayment. About the cowdung fuel we are still using at home as I had told you. This is really helping us to reduce the cost of cutting down the trees. The soap is doing well because with that one I do sell at least to help my parents get daily bread. The sheep at Ebusyubi has given forth to a young one . Apart from this project they have started an eco-school in which they are partnering with the project. They have planted vegetables and they use the organic manure from sheep as fertilizer. Nevertheless they have started environmental conservation project and have started a tree nursery hoping to plant more trees to conserve the environment.