Envest Microfinance

As we celebrate International Women’s Day this week, we want to share the stories of three Ugandan women whose husbands played a key role in helping them overcome significant economic challenges. Molly's husband (pictured here) offered his banana plantation as collateral to secure a loan for sewing machines, allowing her tailoring business to grow. Edith’s husband, Caleb, works alongside her in her fishing business and is a proud, active supporter of her success. Loni invested profits from his quarry to help his wife, Patience, open her own beauty salon. These stories written by Jon Bishop and Annette Ecila Nexa shine a light on husbands who are modeling a kind of partnership that deserves recognition. See link to stories in comments.

When we extended financing to our partner Kigarama Farmers SACCO, one of the loans supported Masheruka Modern, a government primary school in southwestern Uganda. The school used the funds to construct a new dormitory, drill a water well, install a pump, and add a water purification system. These improvements enabled the school to welcome more students who travel long distances to study, increasing enrollment from 800 to 1,076. None of this would be possible without Envest Microfinance investors who advance human dignity and sustainable economies.

This is Bernardo Antonio Echeverría, a 24-year-old entrepreneur and client of our partner OPORTUN in El Salvador. Bernardo owns a small business in San Miguel that specializes in polarized window tinting and decorative services for cars and motorcycles. Window tinting is environmentally friendly, helping to improve energy efficiency by lowering the need for air conditioning. When we met him earlier this year, Bernardo had been running the business for five years thanks to a loan from OPORTUN, his first formal lender. “It is very difficult for young people to get credit from local banks,” he shared. Bernardo runs the business with his brother and values being his own boss. His reputation has earned him contracts with housing communities to tint all their windows, a turning point that significantly boosted his business. Today, Bernardo has an active loan of $1,600 with OPORTUN and has maintained a perfect repayment record. He dreams of expanding and opening a second shop in the near future. A new investment could help many entrepreneurs like Bernardo launch or grow a businesses. Contact us to learn about investment opportunities.