Support for 50 Rural Wakirike Women Entrepreneurs

Three months ago, we informed you that 50 women had been selected to benefit from the “Support for 50 Rural Wakirike Women Entrepreneurs” project. Eight of these women, called “Credit Champions” from the respective communities are women who have exhibited prudence in managing the small loans (up to £120) given for their small businesses.They had paid back their loans promptly in previous years (and on-going Microfinance programme) and ploughed back profit to the business.They were the first recipients of the Global Giving funds.

We received N 669,475.09 on 3^rd February 2014, being the naira equivalent of £2,580.30. This money was sufficient for disbursement to eight women based on our project proposal of N75,000 per woman. We have now disbursed N600,000 to the initial beneficiaries. Though we had planned a workshop for all fifty women on the initial waiting list, our partner organisation, MANKIND advised that they had been inundated by the majority of the women wondering when funds will be released to them. It was agreed that we would instead do one-to-one training in business skills and book keeping only to the first batch. This was completed in April prior to the disbursement of funds.

The communities of the 8 “Credit Champions” and their businesses are listed below:

1. Ogoloma Town – General goods, fishing, firewood
2. Ele Community – Clothes, soft drinks and ‘pure’ water
3. Gream-Ama Community– CommonPeriwinkle business
4. Action & Outreach – Household goods
5. JLO Faith Group – Confectioneries, wholesale of soft drinks
6. Gream-Ama Community) – General goods
7. Ele Community – General goods
8. Abuloma Community – General goods

 As we receive more funds, we will add more women to the list until we achieve our target of fifty beneficiaries. On behalf of all the women (grantees and those waiting), please accept our heartfelt gratitude as your kind gift will go a long way to lift our people out of poverty on the road to prosperity one family at a time.

The attached file shows the faces of the women and their words in print. Thank you.

• Comments from Beneficiaries (PDF)