Location: Abudu, Edo State, Nigeria
Age: 32
Business: To develop a small trade business buying
and reselling foods.
Name of Business: Petty trade (foodstuff)
Loan Amount: 10,000 Naira ($65 USD)
Date Received: 23 March 2009
Date repayment of the Loan: Still in progress
Amount Paid: N 4,000
Personal and Family Information: Married with
three children and living happily.
Blessing Sunday has had a difficult year. Like many people, she
is looking to change her life by becoming an entrepreneur. One of
her children became ill last year and the family spent all their
money on medical expenses. Unfortunately, this was not enough and
the child passed away. Blessing and her husband still have three
children to care for.
She has developed a plan to buy and resell food in different
villages. In order to start this business, she is requesting a loan
of 10,000 Naira for 9 months. The opportunity to start this
business may provide a stable income for the family. Blessing has
prior experience in trading and hopes to use this in her new
business. Her desire to succeed is driven by the need to provide
for the entire family. Blessing Sunday is like many entrepreneurs
looking to make a difference and some day she may be able to
expand.
**Update as of June 7, 2011:
Blessing received the loan of N 10,000 (65USD) and bought
plantains, bananas and pineapples from farmers in the villages and
brought them to a small town to resell to consumers in the
market.
She has paid some of the total loan back, but has faced some very
hard times. She was forced to take some of this money to provide
food and other basic needs for her family in the face of hunger and
hardship.
Through this loan I was able to accomplish the
following:
• Improve the feeding of my family
• Provide the school needs of my children
Until I ran into some problems the loan had the following
impacts on my life and that of the family:
• It has helped me to take responsibility for my
family.
• It enhanced my dignity as a woman by being
dependent and not depending on charity.
• It helped me to have a means of
livelihood