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The Murulle Foundation
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Updated: December 11, 2007

For Immediate Release
February 1, 2007

Women's small-business loans fund a variety of ventures

On a sunny, cool day in Dinsho, 13 of the 21 women in the Women's Small-Business Loan Project gathered in the community compound to express their gratitude for the program, tell me why they joined the project, and what kind of business they started with the loan. At first they were very shy but soon were sharing their stories and offering suggestions to improve the program. Most of the stories were similar-they were all poor and had large families. Each one wanted to improve the lives of their children.

Business activities funded in 2006 include: Selling kolo, a snack food made from roasted barley Buying barley in large quantities and selling it in smaller quantities at a profit Managing a small coffee and tea restaurant Buying sheep to start a flock Selling homemade beer

Gete Weldeyohen was worried about being successful if she joined the program. She needed extra money for medicine for her son who is chronically ill. Her business is preparing kolo, a snack made from roasted whole barley kernels, and selling it on the street.

Birke Sambata has "about six" children at home and is a single parent. Her goal is to educate all of her children (it costs from $13 to $19 per year to go to school in Dinsho, which is a considerable amount since the per capita income is around $92 per year). She is also preparing kolo but noted that today there is more competition and less income in this business than a few years ago.

Mako Ibrihim was the most outspoken member of the group and appeared to be their leader. She has seven members in her family and wants to improve their lives. Several years ago she owned a small buna bate (coffee house) but did not have enough capital to run the business. She is starting the business again.

In total, five women are preparing and selling kolo, at least three are buying a quintal (220 pounds) of barley and selling it in smaller quantities; four women are starting small buna bates; and three are making tela (beer) and ariki (hard liquor) and selling it out of their homes. It was unclear what the rest of the businesses were, but it seemed that a few women had bought a cow and one had purchased a sheep to start a flock.

"We came to this program to help ourselves and our families and to be an example for others. We should make a profit from this program and we want to bring others into it," said Ibrihim. She continued with the suggestion that the amount of the loan be increased from $50 to $70 and that the women learn how to make mirte stoves, an energy-efficient wood-burning stove, to sell in the Dinsho market. Finally, she spoke of a dilemma many parents were facing: "We work hard to send our children to school, but after they graduate they cannot get jobs and must come back home to live."

At Ibrihim's suggestion, this year's group of women will receive a $70 loan. This, plus the increased cost of transportation and salaries, will increase the budget to about $2,700. Almost all of this money has been raised, thanks to our generous donors! The anticipated budget for 2008 is about $3,500, which will include more training for the group so the loan program in Dinsho can become self-sustaining by the end of that year.