Madalitso 6 group

Madalitso 6 Group from Dowa is a close-knit group of five hardworking women who have chosen small businesses as a pathway to financial independence. Each member is engaged in different activities, such as selling fish, vegetables, tomatoes and beans, running a restaurant and operating a salon. Despite working in different trades, they share one purpose: supporting their 15 dependents and improving the wellbeing of their families through steady business growth.

Bilita is a 28-year-old married woman living in Dowa with her husband, who is a farmer. She is a mother of two children and runs a small salon business that she started two years ago as a way of creating self-employment and contributing to her family’s needs. Over time, her salon has become an important source of income, helping her provide daily essentials for her household and support her children’s welfare. With limited resources, she continues to operate the business with dedication, sometimes receiving assistance from a family member when demand increases.

Bilita intends to use her share of the group loan to purchase salon materials, such as hair relaxers, mesh, combs and other essential supplies needed to improve service delivery and attract more customers.

The Microloan Foundation, Lendwithcare's local partner in Malawi, employs a unique 'centre' model for lending to female entrepreneurs. A centre comprises several sub-groups that share the same name as the centre. As such, you may have seen similarly named group loans from Malawi, 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.