Small Loan - Big Change

29 February 2016

Living in Myanmar, a South-east Asian country where approximately 32 per cent of the population lives in poverty, Makyi San and her husband were struggling to make ends meet. Thanks to your donations, Makyi San was able to apply for a microcredit loan to start growing vegetables to sell at market.

“With my second loan, I bought rice and sold that for a profit as well,” she says. “I’m now on to my third loan, which I started a shop with. I sell an assortment of foods as well as soap.”

Makyi San is now a successful shop-owner, generating income for her family and sowing back into her community. “I have been able to renovate and expand our house as well as connect electricity,” she says.

Empowering mothers

The best way to lift children out of poverty is to empower their mothers. Often, ingrained gender inequality in poor communities mean women get left behind when it comes to gaining the skills and resources to earn an income.

Your support of microcredit loans for women in Myanmar helps bring about holistic change for vulnerable and marginalised communities. By supporting mothers with their new or existing businesses, women are able to feed and support their children. The result is children who stay in school and create brighter futures for themselves.

Children benefit

Thanks to a microcredit loan, Ma Myint Mar Htay was not only able to improve her business, but can now also concentrate on being a good mum. “I decided that growing vegetables would be a good business for me as I already had land that I could use. Through the microcredit, I learnt about growing vegetables and now every morning I sell my vegetables at the market as a wholesaler. This frees up the rest of my day to concentrate on raising my children.”

There are many more women in need looking for the chance to kickstart their business and earn a living. Find out how you can help support these mothers through our Microcredit Mums Program by visiting: www.salvos.org.au/said