Today all 5 of Mariya’s children are back in school.
Mariya has a small roadside stand selling fruits and vegetables throughout the Kumbungu community in Ghana. Together, with her husband Abdulai, they have five children ranging in ages from 19-5.
Before she started working with Mentors International, Mariya had many financial burdens, their home was inadequate, her business had shut down, and she was unable to feed her children three meals a day. This affected her family’s wellbeing and in her words, “Kept them unhappy for a long time.” She was very discouraged when her three oldest children had to drop out of school because they were unable to pay the fees.
Mariya was first introduced to Mentors International by her friend Ziblim, who had benefited from our mentoring and business training programs.
Mariya joined our business classes and qualified for her first micro-loan of only $110 USD. She used this money to restart her business. This time she was able to implement the business principles she was taught by her mentor and found great success.
She learned the importance of saving in our training. Over four months, she was able to save $2.70 USD weekly. She prioritized paying back her small loan, and she always made her monthly payments on time.
After careful follow-up on her progress on the first loan, she was approved for a second micro-loan of $182 USD. Mariya invested in larger quantities of fruits and vegetables. This addition has had a positive impact on her business. She was able to improve her profit margins and increased the amount of money she saves weekly.
Today her children are all enrolled in school, and now she feeds her family three nutritious meals a day, and she is debt-free!
Mariya is inspired to keep on improving and growing her business. She would like to become a wholesaler of fruits and vegetables in her community. She is confident that with support from Mentors International and our team of mentors, she will be able to achieve her dreams.
Her mentor Hamza Baba describes Mariya as always being attentive and disciplines at meetings. She is committed and dedicated to Mentors International activities. She even reaches out to us on the weekends for assistance when she is confronted with a challenge.
Pictured below (L-R) is Hamza Baba our mentor, Amishawu (daughter), and Mariya
