Case Studies - Introduction

There are thousands of entrepreneurs currently receiving and paying back small loans to/from Five Talents partners. A selection of stories are shown below from the current programmes around the world. These are the success stories.

However, let’s be honest, in every programme there are some failures where the loans have not been repaid and the businesses have not grown. Sometimes this is because clients have died, someone in the family has fallen sick, there has been fire, theft, or drought or bad business planning or practices. This is a feature of working with the vulnerable poor in the real world. But the vast majority of loans do make a big difference and we are committed to continue providing hope and a way out of poverty through micro-finance. Be encouraged as you read on...

Case Studies - Overview

1. Brick-making - Joy (Kigezi, Uganda) – widow with 6 children, now employs 13 people.
2. Tailoring - Asha (Nagpur, India) - a mother of two children and a successful entrepreneur.
3. Fish - Padma (Madras, India) - hopeful that her new business will eventually bring in the income she earned before the Tsunami swept her old job away.
4. Shoe making and Repairs - Elisha (Kasese, Uganda) – disabled, employs 5 apprentices.
5. Soap making - Mary (Manila, Philippines) – single mother, 3 sons. She makes scented soap which she hand-delivers in bulk, targeting to sell 300kg per week.
6. Sandwich and Juice Seller - Renee (Lima, Peru) - with the profits, Renee buys medicines to treat one of her five children who has a skin infection.
7. Vegetable Shop - Kunda (Nagpur, India) - now Kunda’s mother and two sisters help her with her shop and the business earns £80 each month!
8. Handcrafts - Mats - Sitoempuls Family (Jakarta, Indonesia) - the Fivetalents loan programme will also mean that many families like this one will not be enslaved by the loan sharks.
9. Gas Cylinder Refilling - Pedro (Lima, Peru) - His dream is to send his children to university in the near future.

Case Studies - Detail

Joy – Kabale, Uganda

After Joy’s husband died of malaria, she found herself alone, taking care of six children in the Kabale District of Uganda, near the Rwanda border. Instead of giving up in despair, she started a brick-making business. With a small loan of £100 and some savings she was able to purchase a small piece of land and employ eight people to make bricks. In just four months, she sold £100 worth of bricks with an inventory worth £250 available for sale. Since 2003, she has taken several further loans to enlarge her brick-making business. She also has expanded into growing potatoes and operating a small store. The profits from her business allow her to provide for her children's education and to employ 13 people who now can support their families as well.

Asha - Nagpur, India

Asha Hiranwar is a 48-year-old woman who lives in Nagpur, India. She is a mother of two children and a successful entrepreneur. Asha started her own business in 2002 because her family could not survive on her husband’s income alone. With a loan of £50, Asha started a tailoring business through a Five Talents-funded program in partnership with the Community Development Society. Asha refunded the full amount in the given time, and received a second loan the following year to open another business—a general store. Today, both of Asha’s businesses are thriving. The loans that Asha received have allowed her to feel more independent, a feeling many Indian women never get to experience. She is now able to give her children better education, medical assistance and food. Asha is very thankful for the loans that have made this possible.

Padma - Madras, India

In March 2006, 16 months after the Tsunami, the pounding waves still cause Padma to tremble. Haunted by the memory of her village being washed away, she would rather not live near the water. Yet leaving the isolated little town of Perunthuravu where her family has lived for years is unthinkable. Before the Tsunami hit on Christmas Day 2004, Padma’s whole life in the Tamil Nadu state of South India revolved around fishing: hauling in the catch, selling the fish and mending the nets. Then a giant wave wiped out her village and her livelihood.

Fortunately, with funding from Five Talents, the Anglican Diocese of Madras established self-help groups in her area to provide loans to villagers to begin new businesses. There are now 600 people in these self-help groups covering five different villages. They pool their savings (plus the capital from Five Talents) and disburse loans to anyone who wishes to be a member. Padma received a loan of 1,500 rupees (£20) to start a business selling fish in larger markets and towns. With business training provided by the project, she has ventured further afield from Perunthuravu, taking fish directly to customers along the main road about 2 miles away. Padma is working to build her business, and it’s growing. She’s hopeful that it will eventually bring in the income she earned before the big wave swept her old job away.

Elisha – Kasese, Uganda

Elisha lives in Kasese, Uganda, in the Diocese of South Rwenzori. Although he has polio and relies on a wheelchair to get around, he has tremendous entrepreneurial spirit! In 2002, Elisha participated in a business training seminar offered by a Five Talents Business team from the USA. The team reviewed his business plan and discussed with Elisha ways to make his business profitable and sustainable. Elisha took out loan of £40. When a subsequent Business team returned to Kasese in 2005, they found Elisha running a successful shoe repair business with five apprentices!

Mary - Manila, Philippines

Mary lives in Manila with her three children. Following the tragic death of her husband, she became an independent seamstress to support her family. Her business was a success for five years until a fire ripped through the building destroying everything. Undaunted by this setback, Mary opened a general store and received two micro-loans from Five Talents to help her expand the shop and take classes to start a soap making business. In 2005 she attended a Five Talents business training seminar to help her struggling new business. From the seminar she gained valuable knowledge of business management. Mary has shared her profits with those around her, in particular sending her two sons to college! Mary is now an active participant in her community and is a business counsellor to other entrepreneurs. “I have learned to have faith in God through the ups and downs in both my personal and business life. I have been able to thrive, rise and survive because of God’s faithfulness.”

Renee - Lima, Peru

Renee Pacheco is a member of Las Tres Marias group in a shanty town on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. She sells breakfast to the people who work in what is called the “Market of God,” in Pamplona Alta. She took the loan to increase her capacity to sell sandwiches and juices. With the profits, she buys medicines to treat one of her five children who has a skin infection. Her loan-group meets weekly and they share parenting ideas with the community, and follow-up with them, to help reduce child abuse and neglect. Because of her participation in the group, Renee describes herself as “a person of love and faith."

Kunda - Nagpur, India

Kunda Sakhare lives in Nagpur, India, with her mother and two sisters. Her father died when she was only seven years old. Kunda's family had little money so she and her sisters were not able to complete their studies. They searched for jobs but were unable to find any.

Kunda attended an entrepreneur workshop hosted by the Community Development Society, a partner of Five Talents, and then applied for a loan to start her own business. Kunda received £50 and used the money to open a vegetable shop. Over the past few years she has worked hard, and her business has grown significantly. Now Kunda’s mother and two sisters help her with her shop and the business earns £80 each month!

Sitoempuls Family - Jakarta, Indonesia

The Sitoempuls are one example of a family in need of loans. Mr. Sitoempuls is employed as a taxi driver in Jakarta but he does not earn enough even to cover the rent of a house for his family. On a good day he makes $5 to $6, sometimes working 48 hours continuously. To generate extra income the family stuffs filling into colourful mats used for sleeping. A retail agent sells them the mats. Income based on the number of mats they stuff may reach $50 per month. A loan from Five Talents partner GERHATI will allow the family to buy the mats directly at wholesale price, increasing their profit! The loan programme will also mean that many families like this one will not be enslaved by the loan sharks and credit cooperatives that charge 20% in interest each month, compared to 3% for the Five Talents loan.

Pedro Tintalla - Lima, Peru

Pedro Tintalla lives in the southern part of Lima, Peru. He took out a small loan from the Five Talents partner to buy two full gas cylinders. He sold them in exchange for empties, and gradually he has built up his re-filling business. He now has around 40 gas cylinders thanks to the seed capital provided by Five Talents. His customer-base is growing, and so is the turnover and profit. Pedro appreciates the practical support that Five Talents has brought, enabling him to care for his family. His dream is to send his children to university in the near future.