Microfinance Success: Joyce's Story

Joyce with the crafts she has made

A few months ago Kids First branched out on a new venture: small business loans.
We believed this could provide an important hand up to motivated women, and a kickstart to a small businesses.

Women keen to be involved were invited to a day of small business and finance training, arranged by Joshua. The first round of loans were given out: 100,000UGX (about 45NZD). This doesn't sound like much, but you will be amazed at what these women have achieved! 

Motivation + hope + training + resources
                                 =
A women's potential becomes reality, a family provided for and a future created.

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NAME: Joyce Sematimba 

Age:  40 years

Joyce is married to Fred Sematimba, who works as a security guard earning 150,000shillings a month. Together they are blessed with five children.

The family of seven live in one room. Fred's salary cannot take care of all the family's needs. When Joyce saw her husband depressed because of the hardships they were going through, she knew she had to do something to assist him.

When Joyce shared with her friend about their financial problems, the friend advised her to join Kids First. Through Kids First Joyce was taught how to make crafts, which made her so happy because she knew she could add to the family income. When Joyce had of the opportunity of micro-finance, she applied so she could improve her income. Below Joyce explains about her progress after getting the loan:

“It is  stressing as a mother to see your children struggling to get basic needs, and disturbing to be unable to give enough support to your husband who is struggling financially. When I joined Kids First I started making crafts which I could sell and get some money. But because of the needs of the family, every profit I could make I would spend it without leaving anything to increase my capital so that I could produce more craft.

"When I got the loan from Kids First was able to buy more materials for making crafts. Since this happened I have seen our lives change as a family. Investing in craft has enabled me to produce more craft items and this has also enabled me expand my market. I am no longer selling crafts to only Kids First but also to other craft markets. I have been able to at least make savings of seventy thousand shillings at the end of every month. We all look healthier as a family because of the reduced stress. This school term I was able to pay for a school trip for my kids. Seeing my kids go for this trip, tears of joy rolled down my eyes. I saw my kids living a normal life like any other kids. This would have never have happened if it was not for the boost I got from the loan I was provided for. We now laugh a lot as a family and I feel valued as a wife because of the contribution I am making towards our family."

Joyce and her happy kids!