“Before FH started working in our community, I couldn’t do anything to make an income for myself.”
Julienne lives with her ten year old son in Yandaro community, Burundi. She’s a widow, having lost her husband many years before. Crippled by high living costs for herself and her child, Julienne was using all of her meager income to support her small family. “I used to consume all of what I get for my household needs,” she explains.
Living as a widow in a community stuck in poverty can be a scary thing. There's no social assistance or free healthcare. If something terrible happens, there's little margin to recover.
Julienne knew she would need to start saving so she and her son could make it through life. But she'd never been taught how to save. Luckily, an FH Savings and Loans group opened up in her community, and she joined.
Now, Julienne is finally able to start putting aside money. “I started saving and after some time I had reached a point where I was able to request a cash loan. I took a loan amounting to 210,000 BIF ($150 CAD) from my savings group and that I used to purchase a sewing machine.”
Things are looking up for Julienne. She has multiple means of income now to support herself and her son. But there's still a lot of work to do every day.
“When I am not farming, I use the machine to sew clothes for my community residents. This allows me to earn money daily and earn life as well.”
“I thank God who protects my family and who brought FH to lead us in development.”
KICK START A SEWING BUSINESS
