She and her husband had four children. One sadly passed away, leaving two grandchildren in Ethel’s care. Ethel’s priority is to send all her grandchildren to school, but there are lots of challenges to pay school fees.
MicroLoan has helped her to grow her household income substantially. Ethel heard about MicroLoan through her friends that live locally. Three years later, her loan is worth £100, and she has learnt a lot about running a business.
Depending on the time of year, Ethel adapts her business. She makes clay pots (seasonally) but she also sells fish, and grows maize, tomatoes and rice. She can now afford food for the family, including salt and cooking oil.
But Ethel is ambitious, she wants to expand her business to sell clothes. What will the future hold for this talented entrepreneur?
The cyclones of February and March 2022 were devastating for Ethel.
Her home collapsed. When the house fell, she was in the field. 30kgs of maize flour and 3 bags of maize were destroyed inside.
She has been saving for bricks and has managed to rebuild one wall of her home. She and her family can now live inside again.
Ethel explained that the cyclone was not a one off. “When the rains come, it can rain for 4 days or even a week”. She said some people have to sleep in the church for safety.
As a farmer, the loss of income from the perished maize is extremely concerning for when hungry season comes at the end of the year.
Published on: 26/09/2022
