lendwithcare

43 years old Mario is married with 5 children, 4 of whom are still in school, and lives in a village in the town of Balamban in Cebu province, Philipines. He is a mechanic who repairs watches, amplifiers and speakers which he started in 2000 and was able to start renting a stall near the town’s public bus terminal in 2009. Providing quality service to his customers he has a loyal customer base. Mario has started a new business making coin operated water dispensers. He buys the materials and assembles them and then can sell the dispensers for 12,000 Philippine Pesos (approximately £170). It is very common in the Philippines to have cold drinking water readily available due to the hot weather. Mario has also assembled three of these water machines for himself and he displays one in his stall and the other two in the terminal. He can earn $80 to $100 a dollars a month from his three water units. Mario requested a new loan in order to buy materials to make two more water machines. He will also purchase the parts needed for his general repairs. His eldest child is now helping him in his business and Mario is teaching him how to make repairs and build the water coolers.

A farmer for nearly 30 years near the small town of Catamayo, Equador, Doña Myrian cultivates vegetables including beans, cabbages, white onions as well as maize however most of her income comes from rearing and selling animals such as poultry, guinea pigs and cattle. She has three children, only the youngest of whom is attending school and has been separated from her husband for more than 10 years. She has worked hard to develop her business and has around 300 guinea pigs, 100 chickens, 4 head of cattle and 3 pigs. She estimates her monthly profit at around $830. She requested a loan to buy in bulk feed for all her animals and also pay the three labourers to plough and prepare her land. On average each labourer receives $15 for a day’s work.

Mrs. Pham Thi Huong is 45 and lives in Bac Kan province, Vietnam, with her family, whose main income is from selling meat but this activity does not provide them with an adequate income. Mrs. Huong requested the loan to invest in her business and increase her income in the hopes of attaining a better standard of living and will use the loan to expand her business by opening a stall where she will sell cooked dishes. She hopes that by diversifying her activities she will be able to generate a more sustainable income so that they can cover their daily expenses.

Mrs. Pham Thi Hanh is 43 years old and lives in group 5 of Song Cau ward, Bac kan province, Vietnam, with her family. She makes a living by selling meat in a shop near her house. She works hard everyday, but still finds it difficult to meet daily expenses and the cost of her son’s tuition fees. She requested a loan to expand her store by selling a larger range of meat and prepared food.

Santos Bernardo Aldaz is a small scale farmer aged 75 who grows coffee and raises free-range chickens. in an area called La Huara near the small town of Zumba in the Amazon region in southern Ecuador. Married to Maria Isabel Rodriguez they have four adult and independent children. He started farming when he bought his own land and started cultivating a small plot of land growing one-tenth of a hectare of coffee and plantains. His work has allowed him to build his own house and he requested a loan to pay for two agricultural labourers to help him clean the coffee bushes and buy feed supplies for his free-range chickens.