Mpunde 1401 Group

Mpunde 1401 is a group of five women entrepreneurs located in Zambia’s Central Province. Aged between 32 and 48, they share a common goal of improving their lives and those of the 31 children in their care. Their businesses include poultry farming, clothing sales, and trading in fresh and dried fish. Through their businesses, the women work towards financial independence and a more secure future for their families.

Agness is 48 years old and married to a businessman. She has five children and also cares for one orphan. For the past 23 years, she has operated a business selling clothes, fish and rice, earning an income to help support her family.

Before starting her business, Agness worked as a salesperson. Her previous experience and many years in business have helped her develop skills in serving customers and managing sales. By selling both clothing and food items, she caters to a range of customer needs. From the previous loan she was able to order more stock was improved her working capital and profits .

Agness has requested a share of the group loan to purchase more clothes, fish and rice for resale. She hopes to strengthen her stock, increase her sales and continue meeting the needs of the children in her care. Other members want to order more stock from their loan shares.

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.