Despite holding a master’s degree in economics, Guy Roland Matongo was unable to find work in Brazzaville, Congo, to provide for the seven individuals in his household. His mother began a women’s clothing business several years ago, and when she became too ill to continue working, Guy took the reins of the business. With a loan from HOPE Congo, he was able to travel to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to purchase a wider variety of clothing in varied sizes and styles. Since joining his community bank, Guy says that he has stopped drinking and has instead focused his energies on his business. He says he feels encouraged and now has hope for the future. As his current business continues to grow, he hopes to earn enough to open a hair salon for men.
![Before Eveness Mulungu joined the Walusungu (“mercy”) savings group through our church partner in Malawi, she faced days where she and her family ate animal feed because they couldn’t afford human food. But that changed when she joined the savings group. Eveness used her first group loan of about $1.70 (U.S.) to start a business selling doughnuts and beans.
“By the end of my first cycle I made $140 (U.S.),” Eveness shared. “My life is no longer the same now; [I] was regarded as no one in the community. ... This was the first time in my life that I ever touched and owned big money like this!”
Pictured: Eveness, with her husband in front of their piggery—a third successful business that she operates.](https://blog.hopeinternational.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)