Madaliso 0408

The women in Madaliso 1408 Group are running various small businesses, though they share the same mission of improving their families’ living standards. Their activities range from grocery, kitchen utensils and small food businesses that serve their local community. Together, the members are raising 38 children with whom 27 are currently attending school while 11 are yet to start schooling. This is what motivates them to work hard so they can provide for their families .

One outstanding member of the group is Margret who is a mother of four. She is not just managing a household, she is managing a thriving grocery business that serves as a cornerstone for her family stability and financial independence. She is 32 years old and married and she has a tireless work ethic and is committed to collective growth. Margret believes lending is not a hand-out, it is an economic catalyst. She also believes that when a lender lends to a woman , it lends to a whole village's education and the family’s dignity. Margret’s store is located in the central location of her village such that it provides the local customers with most of the basics for home use.

For Margret , running a grocery store is not just for profit, it’s a path to financial freedom, also balancing the needs of her four children with the demands of her business . Margret proves that being a female entrepreneur is beneficial to her family and her community at large.

From her portion of the loan, Margret plans to buy inventory so that she can increase her sales and grow her business. The rest of the group members plan to invest in their grocery and food businesses so that they can expand their stock and serve more customers in their community.

The Microloan Foundation, Lendwithcare's local partner in Zambia employs a unique 'centre' model for lending to female entrepreneurs. A centre comprises several sub-groups which 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.