Mchenga 1 Group

In Rumphi, five married entrepreneurs have joined together as Mchenga Group, each working to build a more dependable livelihood for their families. Together, they support 21 children and one orphan. Their income-generating activities include selling clothes, fish, vegetables, tomatoes, snacks, and farm produce, as well as farming and running grocery shops.

At 42 years old, Shyreen is a married mother of three who runs a grocery store in her community. She started the business three years ago as a way of earning an income and ensuring that her family could afford their basic needs.

Since then, Shyreen has continued to develop her business through persistence and hard work. She is supported by one family member, who assists with the day-to-day running of the grocery store.

For Shyreen, the business represents an opportunity to become more financially secure while providing for her children. However, limited working capital can make it difficult to keep enough products in stock and respond to customers' needs. She therefore hopes that additional capital will allow her to strengthen her stock levels and move her business towards greater growth.

Her long-term goal is clear: to see her grocery business grow into a stronger and more reliable source of income for her family.

Mchenga Group is seeking a combined loan of MK 3,000,000 to provide the members with additional capital for their businesses. The funds will be used according to each member's enterprise, helping them purchase and maintain stocks of clothes, fish, vegetables, tomatoes, snacks, and farm products, while also supporting grocery shops and farming activities. Shyreen plans to use her share of the loan as business capital for her grocery store, enabling her to invest in more stock and strengthen the operation of her business.

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 which 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.