Jaila-Sri Lanka

Jalia and her husband run a small bakery in Mutur , a town in Sri Lanka’s eastern Trincomalee district, to support their family of four . With limited resources, Jalia was able to make ends meat by making loaves of bread. She hired three labourers to help.

With a loan of Rs 50,000 from Muslim Aid Sri Lanka’s Enterprise Resource Centre (ERC) which is a joint project with AmeriCares, Jalia was able to expand her business to include buns, roast bread, rusks and rolls, as well as occasionally taking orders for cakes. As a result her client base has increased.

“Before getting the loan I found it difficult to manage on the income I received. Now my financial situation is more secure. . I am able to purchase larger quantities of ingredients so I can get them cheaper. Now I am able to save an extra Rs 700 (USD 7) to pay for tuition for the children,” she said.

Jalia has no trouble repaying Rs 5,000 each month. At the end of 10 months, she wants to take another one loan to expand and modernise the bakery.

Kaleem

For years Kaleem struggled to support his family of eight children on the income he earned from a small all-purpose shop he ran in the town of Mutur in Sri Lanka’s eastern Trincomalee district. High family expenses made it difficult to find enough ready cash to increase his stock or to buy large quantities at bulk prices.
After receiving a microfinance loan from Muslim Aid Sri Lanka’s Enterprise Resource Centre (ERC), a joint project with AmeriCares, Kaleem has been able to purchase large quantities of stock at low prices, meaning his customers get a better deal. The word spread and Kaleem’s shop ,which sells a variety of goods from food and stationery to firewood and children’s bags, is doing better than ever.

After receiving business development training at ERC, Kaleem was chosen for a 50,000 rupee (USD 500) loan, which he will repay over 10 months. He has found repaying the loan extremely manageable. Kaleem still has to support five of his children so he has not been able to save but he is reinvesting the Rs1,000 profit he makes monthly into expanding his stock and giving his customers new choices of goods to purchase.

“Before this loan, I did face some financial difficulties but getting the loan has eased them,” said Kaleem. “My life has improved and I am able to educate my children better with extra tuition lessons that I could not have previously afforded.”

Once he has repaid his first loan, Kaleem plans to apply for another to make further improvements to his business.