Self-Help loans transform Sarah’s life

Sarah and her husband with tricycle

Sarah  is a 38-year-old woman who lives in Nkawie Panin, a farming community in rural Ghana. She is married and has four children, three of whom are in school.

Up until 2009, Sarah was working as a petty trader and made very little money from her work. She sold fresh produce, such as cassava, plantains, tomatoes, and onions, in low quantities. She bought the produce from a nearby market, about half a kilometre from her house. Prices at this market were higher than those at other, larger markets, which were further away from her home, but she could not afford transportation to larger markets and farms. As a result, her business was generating very little income for Sarah and her family.

Sarah’s original shop in 2009

In 2009, Sarah applied for a microcredit loan from Self-Help International, hoping it would help her grow her business and increase her family’s income.

That year, Sarah received a $25 microcredit loan from Self-Help International, which allowed her to start trading at a small table. She continued to sell food and grow her business, and by 2011, she had expanded her table into a 10x10x8 foot wooden structure, with a refrigerator and a television.

She now has a greater variety of items in her inventory, including canned foods, milk, cooking oil, pasta and soap.

The new store built in January 2014

In 2013, she purchased a tricycle so she could move produce from farms to markets. Sarah’s husband operates the tricycle, transporting goods for Sarah’s business, and also transporting goods for others for a fee. He also is a managing partner in Sarah’s business and operates the shop from time to time when Sarah goes into town to purchase goods. Her children also help run the shop when Sarah is preparing meals for the family.

Sarah tells Self-Help International that her secret is hard work and trustworthiness. She is grateful to Self-Help International, especially the microcredit loan program for women.

Thank you for your continued support of SHI’s Women’s Micro-Credit Program. Because of your generosity, Sarah, and many women like her, have found great success.