Social Microfinance in Sierra Leone

Discover the story of Aminata Kamara, an entrepreneur supported by MUNAFA in Sierra Leone

"Married at 16, I'm now an accomplished entrepreneur"

My name is Aminata Kamara, I'm 48 years old and I'm an entrepreneur in Portee. Born into a poor family in Freetown, I never had the chance to go to school because I couldn't afford it. To ease the financial burden on my family, my parents married me off at 16, and at 17 I gave birth to my first child.
Today, I'm the mother of seven children.

For a long time, I wanted to develop my business, but without a guarantor and faced with high interest rates, I couldn't access loans from microfinance institutions in my region.

Growing with MUNAFA*

In 2022, I discovered MUNAFA, and my determination enabled me to be elected president of the “EIB FOR ME, EIB FOR YOU” group.
On August 31, 2022, I obtained my first loan of 1,200 SLE (52 USD), which enabled me to improve my fish business. After repaying it, I took out a second loan of SLE 2,400 (105 USD) in January 2023.

Thanks to MUNAFA's economic training courses, I've learned to diversify my products and reinvest my profits. I added a clothing stand to my original business, which gradually increased my income.

A life-changing achievement

Today, I'm on my 6 microcredit with an amount of 10,000 SLE (438 USD), and my business has taken on a new dimension. I now sell fish, clothes, palm oil, household items and toiletries. Thanks to my savings, I've been able to improve my production and expand my stock.

MUNAFA has given me the chance to grow, and today my business is stronger than ever.

*MUNAFA: a social microfinance institution created and incubated by Entrepreneurs du Monde in Sierra Leone.