Philipines
Five Talents have been working in the Philippines since 2000 with our partner, the Centre for Community Transformation (CCT). By the end of 2009 we were lending to over 4,900 small businesses in the shanty towns around the capital, Manila. Here you can read about the impact of some of those loans.
Mary
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.
Mary 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."
Kim
When Kim and her husband Dordes lost their one month old baby, and soon after, Kim's father, they went through hard times and struggled financially. Armed with determination to provide a good life for her family, Kim became more industrious in helping her mother in law with the clothes repair business. “It came to a point where she let me borrow a sewing machine so I can practice more at home.”
Now, Kim is operating a dress shop located just beside their house. “We accept almost any orders except those that use denim as our machines are not yet capable for that kind of fabric. But we can make gowns, pants, curtains, bed sheets, and a lot more,” she lists down. They were also able to buy a new tricycle that Dordes uses as a taxi business, ferrying passengers around town. Kim was also able to set up a mini grocery business with her sister using her CCT loan. “She manages the store while I do the purchasing of products,” describes Kim. “I am thankful for so many blessings,” .