In 2020 we began supporting MicroLoan Foundation, a women’s empowerment and poverty alleviation charity which works across Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We are proud to announce that in our first year of partnership we helped 14 women! In our latest blog update we want to share with you the story of Evelesi, one of MicroLoan’s entrepreneurs who received their help.
Evelesi was born into a family living in poverty in Malawi. She grew up without the most basic necessities such as regular meals and clothes. She left school at age 12, and became a mother at the young age of 15.
Evelesi now has ten children, and is responsible for 12 dependants. Despite this huge responsibility on her shoulders, she has always been determined to ensure that none of her children endure the hardships she did growing up. Before she joined a MicroLoan group six years ago, Evelesi was already an aspiring entrepreneur selling cassava locally. However, sales were extremely slow, and there were barely enough customers to turn a profit. She joined MicroLoan for additional capital as well as the business and financial literacy training she needed to flourish as a businesswoman.
Equipped with the acumen to build a sustainable and profitable enterprise, Evelesi was able to grow her cassava business and expanded by opening a grocery store. The store was well-stocked and highly popular, so she was able to further diversify her business by purchasing three motorcycles to rent to other members of the community.
It is testament to Evelesi’s drive and determination that in just six years, she has almost tripled her weekly earnings. She is now on her 18th loan cycle with MicroLoan and runs three successful businesses with five employees. Evelesi’s success in business has not just transformed her own life, but the life of her 12 dependants, her brother, her husband and her employees. When one woman thrives, a whole community can be positively impacted.
With a steady income, Evelesi can afford nutritious food, and school fees for her children – necessities she never had growing up. She recently purchased three plots of land on which she has built a secure, self-contained home for her family. She hopes to send her children to university so they can reach their full potential and achieve their dreams. What’s more, MicroLoan’s transformational impact has potential to engender long-term change. With support from MicroLoan, Evelesi has broken a cycle of intergenerational poverty, and rewritten the future of her family.
As WCS kicks off another year of partnership with MicroLoan we can’t wait to support more women just like Evelesi! Keep checking back at this blog page for more updates about our impact in Africa with MicroLoan.