Each month 20% of profit from Girls Can’t WHAT? product sales is invested into KIVA to help women all over the world start or maintain their businesses. You can read more about this here and visit our online portfolio to see all the women we’ve been able to help.
Today, I received a great email from KIVA in regards to a woman in Palestine who needed a loan to buy a refrigerator and some supplies for her bakery business. Through the sale of Girls Can’t WHAT? gear, we were able to help her with that loan and she was able to take one step closer to fulfilling her dreams of having her own bakery. Here is the email I received:
Dear lenders,
I recently had a chance to drive to Saffa Village and meet with Hanin Al-Falana. The biggest two changes in Hanin’s life since her loan was funded on Kiva – she gave birth to her second child a few months ago and she and her husband have now opened a small bakery next to their house!
They used the loan to rent the store space, buy new machinery and baking supplies. The business is bringing extra income compared to what her husband earned before and they even have customers from neighboring villages.
It was fascinating to find out that without the FATEN loan, Henin doesn’t think they would have started this bakery business and perhaps Henin would not have had the opportunity to work given her young children.
While I interviewed her, other family members were asking the loan officer for loan information for their idea to open separate male and female gyms in the area. It was a pleasure to witness the entrepreneurial spirit in Palestine.
-Margarita Salasyuk
How cool is that? Hanin now has her own business right next to her home which allows her to also spend time with her young children. And we helped. I love my job. :)
A big thanks to everyone who makes these dreams possible. Without you, stories like this would be fewer and farther between. The more successful we are, the more successful we can make others!
