Oksana Puchka sells coffee and tea from a market stand, which she has expanded using loans she took out from HOPE Ukraine. As her profits have increased, Oksana has made improvements to her family’s home and has also helped install gas in her mother-in-law’s home. In the future, Oksana hopes to open up a second trading spot to further expand her sales.
Beginning with a loan of just $48, Adelaide Barutwanayo grew her clothing sales business in the markets of Gitega, Burundi, to a point where she could comfortably provide for her two children, ages 6 and 13. “[HOPE’s partner] Turame has helped me feed my family. Now I am sure I can build a house,” Adelaide says of her dreams for the future.
When Bertin Jonas Kihoulou started his business selling bags and sandals in 1996, he had only $20 worth of merchandise. While he worked hard to improve his business, it wasn’t enough to fulfill his dreams of providing his three children with a better education and improving his family’s housing. So when he heard about HOPE Congo, Bertin decided to take out a loan, which he used to buy a greater variety of bags. Now he makes up to $50 a day and has plans to eventually sell in bulk to other shop owners. Along with the loan, Bertin appreciates HOPE Congo’s honesty and friendliness and refers many of his friends to HOPE.
Immaculee hopes to one day purchase her own home. Through her HOPE Rwanda savings group, she is gaining experience at saving for a significant goal. Through her savings, she was able to purchase a sewing machine for $93. She’d like to purchase an even better machine, with several sewing functions, and open her own tailoring school in her community.
When she was just fourteen, Nini and her family moved from Haiti to the Dominican Republic in search of a better life. Now married with eight children of her own (six of whom still live with her, along with three grandchildren), Nini is thriving with her own charcoal business. When she first started her business, she needed to take out many loans from different places. It was often hard on her, so she jumped at the chance to work with only one bank—HOPE’s partner Esperanza. Since then, she has taken out 12 loans and not only feels the freedom of working with a single bank, but also treasures the camaraderie that has come with it, as she has developed great relationships with her fellow bank members.
A watermelon farmer, Maria Rahmanova appreciates the agricultural loans from Invest-Credit, HOPE’s partner in Moldova. Each spring for the past three years, Maria has taken out an $800 loan, providing her with capital to purchase the seeds, pesticides, and tillage that help her watermelons—and her business—to grow. Maria uses her profits to help provide for her husband and daughter.
