Twapalwa D 1302

Based in Mpika, the Twapalwa D 1302 group comprises five women engaged in diverse ventures such as market stalls, farming projects, and second-hand clothing stalls. Collectively they support the education of twenty-nine children; the mothers place a high priority on their children's education. Whether married or divorced, all group members demonstrate exceptional diligence in their respective enterprises, benefiting from substantial help from their spouses and relatives. The average age of the ladies is 44.

Merab is a member of the group who has a market stall selling fish and other foodstuffs. She is married to a bricklayer and they have two children who are doing well academically; their parents work hard to support them.

Before she started her business, Merab was a housewife, but life was not very easy depending on her husband’s income to meet all the household bills so Merab decided to start a business to contribute to the family's income.

Microloan Foundation, Lendwithcare's local partner in Zambia employs a unique 'centre' model for lending to female entrepreneurs. A centre comprises several sub-groups, each consisting of five members. These sub-groups share the same name as the centre. As such, you may have seen similarly named group loans from Zambia all belonging to the same centre. In this system, each woman is individually responsible for repaying her loan, but the group offers mutual support by assuming overall responsibility together.