The power, if accessible in remote areas of eastern Congo, is off more often than on. Bahati sits in her small shop, selling the vegetables and fruit that grow in this lush part of eastern Congo as well as odds and ends, flour, canned food, and the batteries that are necessary in an area with poor infrastructure or no access to electricity.But because of your partnership in Action Kivu's work, Bahati has access to a different kind of power, the Power in Unity Microloan group. Created and organized by a group of entrepreneurial women, the women pay forward an original investment, each borrower paying back part of her profit to provide the funds for a new member to take a loan for a small business.Her husband has no job, so Bahati's loan was life-saving. They were struggling to feed their children. Starting with her $100 loan in 2013, Bahati began her small shop, and began to not only feed her kids, but send her children to school - five of her seven children are now receiving an education, and she plans to send the youngest to school when they are old enough."This business has helped me because I can pay school fees for my children and also feed them," Bahati tells us. "I saved some money and I bought a pig. I repaid the loan I borrowed and I have an amount of $130, this is what I gained." Bahati sends her thanks and blessings to you, Action Kivu partners, who make these life-changing programs possible.“The story of any one of us is in some measure the story of us all.” ~ Frederick Buechner
Connect with the women and kids in Congo:
- Microloan Moms: Adherents of Hope Writing the Future of Congo
- Microloan Mom Faida's Miracle
- Mama Aimericiane: Accomplishment and Vision [Sewing Workshop Graduate]
Dig deeper: Donate today to invest in this life-changing work!