From Needle to Shop

When Ayesha Bibi lost her tailoring income after the market stall closed, she refused to give up. With a small interest-free loan of 25,000 rupees from our microfinance program, she bought a second machine and opened a one-room shop in her Mohalla. Within eight months, her weekly orders tripled. Today she trains three girls from her neighbourhood, all from families who cannot afford fees. "The loan never asked for interest. It only asked that I work hard, and that made all the difference," she says. Ayesha now repays her weekly instalment on time and has opened a small savings account for her daughters education.